Lost and Found Remnant UED forces in the Koprulu Sector
by Serdancos
Summary: End of the Brood Wars. Most of the UED forces had been killed by the Zerg. Some, however, managed to escape and lie low for a while. This story follows the destiny of one versatile,earth captain and his men, as they struggle to find their place in a completly hostile sector. They will meet old enemies, the Dominion and Zerg, but also open minded people, like J. Raynor and umojans.
1. 1: Paths Collide

_Lost and found. A story about UED remnant forces in the Korpulu Sector._

 _Even though the bulk of the Earth Expeditionary Fleet has been either defeated above Char or destroyed on their way back, there were more prudent, more capable commanders that managed to save part of the troops that they were leading._

 **Chapter 1:** _ **Paths collide**_

Former UED captain Marcu Andronic, along his capital ship Decebalus, heads one of the few surviving Directorate ships in the Koprulu Sector. Thanks to Admiral Gerard DuGalle's faulty leadership, 90% or more of the ships that came from Earth have been annihilated. Hell, they were very lucky to escape the trap that that monster, Kerrigan, set up for them. Tasked with defending the left flank of The Cronus Wing, he and his 6 battlecruisers realized that they had no chance against the overwhelming zerg forces. Instinct overcame loyalty, logic overcame sentimental foolishness, so they managed to cleave an opening for themselves through the zerg lines. The attack was quick, calculated, well aimed and the enemy could not withstand the combined firepower of his ships. However, before they could make the warp jump to a random location, two of the cruisers lost power and fell prey to the monsters. It was foolish to think that they could middle in the affairs of unpredictable alien races, light years away from their home and sanctuary, the Solar System.

But the past is the past and cannot be rewritten. One has to press forward, no matter how difficult life may be, if he wants to achieve his goals.

Looking out the window of his ship's main deck, he couldn't help thinking about his next step. Since half the Universe is looking for the likes of him, he and his crew needed to keep a low profile.

Therefore, landing on planet Solaris III seemed to be a good idea. It resembled Korhal IV to some degree, with its barren, rich in minerals lands, canyons, vespene valleys and caves, in which one could easily hide four battlecruisers. Lately, however, the reserves have been depleating and if no replacements were to be found, their forces would be stranded and powerless.

" Spacedust... it holds the essence of all life in the Universe... it also bears witness to the deaths of billions of beings inhabiting it..."

" Sir, you've been staring aimlessly into space for a couple of hours now! Are you sure you're alright?" Josef Harding, his deputy officer asked.

The captain straightened up, as if he was woken up from a nightmare. His tall, imposing figure, earned him the respect of his followers. His face was always ghostly pale, just like his eyes. Three bullet scars "decorated" his left cheek- a parting gift from his fight with that treacherous scum, Samir Duran. He had auburn hair and beard, both kept in a small cut. He was still wearing his old uniform proudly. The five medals of bravery, earned during the so-called Brood Wars, were his most prized posessions. They were awarded to him by his former commander-in-chief, vice-admiral Alexei Stukov, whom he took as a model for himself.

" Josef, one of the most important qualities mankind has is loyalty, to his family, to his friends, but above all, to his race! That is what matters out here, in the hostile reaches of space! Mark my words! said the captain seriously.

" I will sir... I will! answered Josef.

He on the other hand was the kind of man that liked to follow orders; to receive them from someone, rather than thinking on his own. It was a way to stay out of trouble and keep a clean conscience. Having blood on his hands was something he could not live with.

" Good! How are we doing?"

Josef turned his attention back at the holotable, tweaking some knobs. A map of the Solaris system appeared, with each planet's specifics carefully analyzed and categorized. Another tweak of a knob and their hidden bases took shape.

" As you can see from yesterday's report, said the worried deputee officer handing him a notebook, we have been running low on Vespene gas for a while now. If we do not find a huge reserve any time soon, well, let's say our engines will be as useful as that rust dust out there!

" Da mă, înţeleg! answeared an annozed captain while reading the report.

„ Sir, you are speaking in your native language again... let me get the translation device...!"

" All you'll get is a punch in the face if you won't stop with your stupid jokes!

Now, are all my men accounted for?"

Another tweak of a button, followed by the submission of no less than four passwords and a long list popped up on the holo-screen. It contained information on the whereabouts of their small fleet, of the four ships themselves, their crews, bases and so on.

Captain Marcu Andronic always kept his forces in check; their dire situation demanded it.

Two Scorpion class battlecruisers, each manned by around 8000 people, half of them kept in cryo stasis to preserve their limited supplies. One behemoth class, formerly dominion, battlecruiser with a 5000 strong crew. Last but not least came his prized ship, Decebalus, a true monster by Dominion and Earth standards alike: twice as large as a a behemoth class ship, it boasted no less than 150 point defence systems, 40 crew served batteries and 18 ship to ship missile launchers, two Nagasaki Planetary Warheads and the traditional Yamato Cannon. His crew numbered 12500 people, two thirds being kept in cryo. That meant the Decebalus was manned by a skeleton crew.

During the Brood Wars, Andronic's ship alone was able to take on a colony all by itself, dealing catastrophic damage to the enemy ranks. Admiral Edmund Duke learned that on his own skin during the battle of Braxis, when he lost 4 battlecruisers and two squadrons of wraiths against Andronic.

Now, thanks to all the shortages both in resources and spare parts, he couldnt afford to keep the entire ship online. Right now, he was wondering as to where he might aquire the much needed fuel.

" Solaris Secunda! What about that planet?" he asked, touching a point on the projection, which immediatly zoome in on the rocky planet. It showed significant proven and potential ressources.

" Dunno sir. One of our wraith patrols reported seeing a Kel-Morian colony being set up. That was a few days ago."

" No sir, but it may be in a couple of days. Their refineries were turning up quite the harvest though!"

" Hmmmm! Ia să vedem...(lets see) Ah, excuse me, I believe we should send in a covert squad to take out their commlinks and recover intel. Raiding them afterwards seems like a good idea!Ţ said the captain while he transmitted the orders to his 2nd Ghost Regiment, Penumbra.

" Esmeralda, get your men ready! I want a code 4 op. smoothly done! Destination, Solaris Secunda, ETA, 1 hour!

" Acknowledged!" answered the cold hearted, ice-like female ghost in the hangar.

Marcu Andronic and Josef Harding then went on with the analysis. From what the adjutant could tell them, the Solaris system is in close proximity to the Terran Dominion. The planet Septuaginta has some of the best Starports on this side if the K. Sector. Perhaps their next target would be that place, as those facilities could provide them with the means to finally repair their cruisers. Indeed, it would be a good choice.

 _1 Hour later, aboard the UED ship Lancaster_

"Esmeralda, we will launch the drop pods now!. Everyone, prepare yourselves... and good hunting!" said captain Trevor.

10 pods landed on the darks side of the planet, hidden away from sight. 40 ghost operatives, accompanied by a cloaked, made their way to the middle section of the planet. The landscape was in itself a clue to as to what riches could be found under its surface: a rocky, blue colored desert, with large craters emanating vespene vapours, high mountain ranges, undoubtedly filled with minerals and who knows what else.

Esmeralda stopped. There was a gorge separating them form the rest of the planet. She checked her map once more. That place wasn't supposed to be there.

She threw a rock into the gorge. The object fell for about one kilometer before hitting a metallic surface. Jackpot!

" So, they were jamming our scanners and hiding their bases. No matter, they will regret this! whispered an aneraged female ghost.

Scaling down the perfectly vertical wall, the squad were shocked to find huge military installations, albeit not fully operational, 6 refineries, 10 mineral deposits and more.

Once the descent was over, the squad scattered arpund the enemy base, planting explosives in and around the main buildings. One of the ops. hacked into the database, obtaining a Kel-Morian codebook, along with other valueble information. Esmeralda was tempted to blow the whole place up, but the Captain was adamant in his decision to capture the supplies, not destroy them.

Before one could notice, they dissapeared into the night, leaving no less than 60 time bombs behind. One click of a button, and the place would cave in. Next stop, the still in construction base.

It took them two hours to reach its location, again, a very isolated one, surrounded by mountains and crevices, some being more than one kilometer wide. Thankfully, their Hekate-class cloaking suits had a special anti gravity device, which allowed them to practically lower the gravity in a certain area for a short amount of time(around 5 min. usually)- more than enough for them to overcome such obstacles.

Quickly but silently, the group made its way through theseveral bunkers and neosteel walls guarding the first command center. All around them, miners of all sorts, M.U. and SCVs were goind their own way, carrying loads of minerals and vespene gas.

" A science vessel! Hide, damn you!" shouted an alarmed Esmeralda to her crew, thelepathicly.

The vessel overed above and around the command center, as if looking for something... or someone.

The female ghost neared the main door, looking to eavesdrop on whatever was spoke there.

„ Yea, well I ain't gonna wait for the Dominion to come and take my resources just like that!" said an angered 30yrs old morian commander.

„ How do you plan to stop them, you dumbass?" If i recall correctly, you dont have the firepower to do that!" answered another man via comm link, his overseer, no doubt.

„ Then lend us a hand!"

„ Ha! You should have thought about that before running off with your guild, idiot! I warned you not to get greedy and go off unescorted, but no, you made your own choice. Now, I will make mine! Henceforth, you are free from your vows, losing all your rights and olbigations from and towards the Kel-Morian Combine! said the overseer with a vicious voice.

„ You can't do this! yelled the young commander.

„ Yes I can and I will! Adjutant, please make all necessary arrangements!

„ It will be done, overseer Kaljo! answered the robotic figure behind him.

The holoscreen shut down right after, courtesy of a fist in its projector. Commander Schnitt retreated his bloodied hand, wiped it off, then went outside to get some fresh air and chill out.

Not even wanting to get in his CMC suit, he went for a walk around the base, enjoying the seemingly peaceful night. The metallic strrets were dusty and empty, with noone in sight. Apart from the twenty or so ghosts surrounding him, of course.

Schnitt opened his tobacco bag, grabbing some and pouring it into his wooden pipe. He lighted it and took in a few breaths.

Esmeralda and her men could barely contain themselves. It was a golden opportunity, a unique one in fact, to have the enemy commander face close, literally.

Schnitt now exhaled, relieved from his burdens by the high quality Agria Ventura tobacco that he brought with him from Moria. He was now making smoke circles and blowing them around him, aimlessly and carelessly. Suddenly, one of the circles hit something in front of im. Years of battle experience poured in, as he kept his cool, cleaning his pipe and searching for another tobacco bag.

„ Damned Agrian goods, where did I put them? he sweared with a moderate voice.

He found the other box, including the EMP grenade that he always carried with him, disguised as a lighter. He opened up its cap, pressed the button and then...

A screeching sound and a blue wave revealed twentyone stunned ghosts, scattered all around him.

„ Care for a smoke, my friends? he asked with a devious smile.


	2. 2: A most unusual situation

**Chapter 2:** _ **A most unusual situation**_

The other 19 ghosts had to abandon them. The contingency plan required them to reach the cloaked dropship as soon as possible. As such, they left the base in a hurry and, after a tiring 1 hour of running through hostile territory, they finally entered the ship.

The ghost sergeant didn't ask one question as he steered the ship towards the battlecruiser hidden away behind the the planet's moon.

Captain Trevor approved their entry code rather unwillingly. It was always a shame to enter "1944-23-08-victory/" for a code, as it meant dangerous, insanely stupid failure. So, after interrogating each and one of them, he proceeded towards the deck. He had to give his report to Admiral Andronic in person.

 _45 minutes later_

"... that was all that could be done sir! We may have to get our hands dirty this time...!"

" Indeed, this is an unfortunate turn of events, captain Trevor! We simply cannot blow up their supply caches, for we definately need them. Not to think what would happen if the entire gas dome exploded!

No, this situation required cool heads and firm hands, namely a good old round of negotiations with the enemy commander!" said Andronic with a serious tone.

And, with that, the transmission ended. Captain Trevor could breathe a little before the storm.

Aboard the Decebalus, Admiral Andronic- it was his unofficial title, even though he wasn't actually promoted-, prepared his subordoinates for what he called "active peace talks". Turning to his deputee, he grabbed him by the arm and said:

" Josef, wake the boys and girls up and start the engines! Tell them to arm themselves but not get trigger happy. We are meeting the adversary head on, but we will not engage unless there is no other way, understood?"

Rather intrigued by his superior's decision, the deputee officer agreed, then opened up all loudspeakers and comm links on the ship. He shouted:

" All personel prepare yourselves and go to your posts! This is a code 12 orange situation, (sensible hostage rescue type) so do not fire unless told to! We'll have liftoff in half an hour!

The crew was glad to be back on its feet and kicking. Sure, they enjoyed a two year vacation, but even that could get very boring. Alcohol was not infinite, neither were card games, movies, arcades and other distractions. A kind of austere vacation, some would say- especially those kept in cryo most of the time-, but it was either that, or starvation, or the Zerg. So, a fight to the death was a welcomed relief, sort of.

The Decebalus's five engines roared like a gargantuan beast awoken from its slumber. The ship was fully online, its weapons manned and its crew ready for anything. The deputee officer steered the ship manually, carefully exiting the hangar and avoiding all obstacles along its way out of the canyon and finally took into space.

Setting the speed at a minimum, in order to preserve fuel, they reached Solaris Secunda's atmosphere in about one hour. Scanners indicated a buildup of forces in the western hemisphere of the planet, which lay on its light side.

" Make contact with that audacious scumbag! Am să-i bag mortu' în casă!"

" Right sir! The translator says you just said: " I shall put the dead into his house!"- what does that mean?" asked a curious Josef Harding.

Marcu looked him up and laughed for a minute. Swearing in his native language was always amusing... especially when prople around him won't understand a thing. Even the translator device seemed to be failing in its job.

" It means I will scare the shit out of him! informed Andronic with a higher tone. Now open that damn link, don't just sit there!"

Josef tweaked a few knobs and submitted a password. He then created a private, very secure server on which they could speak. At least the ghosts managed to retrieve that bit of useful info. Not too soon after, a private channel between them and the Kel-Morian base was opened.

A man in his thirties, with tanned skin, crystal blue eyes and blond hair, dressed in a conventional, but elegant black suit, sat on a chair, smoking a cigar. He looked them up, visibly impressed by their arrival.

" Hi! he said. It seems someone hacked into my network. And to whom do I owe the pleasure?"

" Admiral Marcu Andronic, commander of the UED Blockade Squadron, Cronus Wing!" answered Andronic proudly and imposing.

The enemy commander let out a long whistle; he really wasn't expecting that kind of answer.

" Damn! And here I was, thinking the Zerg got all of you!

" The Zerg aren't all that smart! Smart tactics and one can outmaneuver their overwhelming numbers!"

" Still, its year 2502 and here you are! Now this is something you don't see everyday! he said, taking a long breath from his cigar. Name's Schnitt, by the way! I lead this bunch of renegades! I suppose you are missing a few ghosts?"

" That I am. Got any idea where they might be?"

" Perhaps. Care to join me for a smoke, admiral?"

" At your funeral maybe!" answered a dead serious Andronic.

The other one bursted into laughing. He was clearly having a good time blackmailing the former UED captain. However, if he would continue pressing the wrong buttons, he might learn a history lesson about what happened in Japan- a country from Earth-, back in 1945. And it won't be a pleasent one! Those two planetary nukes had a very suggestive name indeed...

" Relax! I'm not here to tease you! In fact, I am about to propose an alliance with you folks!" he said with a strange spark of hope in his dark blue eyes.

" Why would we ally ourselves with a Kel-Morian? Hmmm?"

" That's just the thing! We ain't Kel-Morians anymore!

That was something Marcu wasn't expecting. Was it a tactic to seed doubt inside his head, a trick, or simply the truth? An alliance with the descendents of the convict worldships has proven itself to be awfully disastrous, especially since the memory of Samir Duran and his so called Confederate Resistance Forces betraying them not once, but twice at least, still lingered in the back of his mind, ever present.

The crew itself, which has been quietly eavesdropping on the conversation, had a hard time believing the former morian's good intentions. It's only normal, once an entire sector seems to be looking for the likes of you.

" Why would I do this? Tell me, why I shouldn't turn you and your lackeys into spacedust?"

" Because, Admiral Andronic, assuming you can really pull off such an endeavor, it would be a foolish action. Lets see: I've got your 21 ghosts, a motherload of vespene gas, both liquified and in the form of vapours, rich mineral deposits, the best miners in this system. Oh, and on top of that, I assume that since the rest of your fleet isn't with you, they either lack fuel or courage. I, on the other hand, need protection from the Dominion and other pirate scum!"

" Mama lui!( Damn his mother!) This bastard knows how to play his cards like a pro!" the admiral muttered to himself.

After 1 one hour stormy deliberation with his most trusted advisors and the rest of his captains, Marcu Andronic finally agreed to meet Schnitt down on the surface of Solaris Secunda, at a neutral location.

As he was leaving his personal quarters, he nearly forgot to take a certain golden box with him. Beautifully decorated, it had the name "Santiago" engraved on it.

The Decebalus activated its vertical engines and slowed down on its descent. With little to no light around, they had to carefully land on the rocky plateau underneath them. Josef, being an ace pilot, managed to get the job done smoothly.

Marcu Andronic stepped out of his ship, accompanied by twenty marines, four goliaths and the remaining 19 ghosts. All lights were suddenly turned on, revealing commander Schnitt, he himself guarded by loads of soldiers armed to the teeth. He was wearing the same elegant suit, just like any politician would. His battlecruiser was armed and ready behind him.

Both commanders stepped forward. They looked each other straight in the eyes. They continued doing that for a couple of minutes, before finally shaking hands, much to the amazement of the bystanders.

" I can't believe my luck! Meeting an UED son of a gun face to face!" said Schnitt smiling.

" Neither would I! answered Marcu, joining him for a walk. What do you want to talk about?

" Frankly, I don't know! All I can think of is how to remove the threat that that dominion force is posing us. There is something else, however: getting revenge on my former superiors!

" Former? What, you got fired for being lousy?" asked Andronic.

" Sort of. Anyway, we just struck the mother of all vespene domes out here! With what we gathered so far, we can power up four planets at the same time. Four additional battlecruisers shouldn't be a problem!" added Schnitt rather jokingly, but thruthfully.

" Straight to the point, aren't you? Alright then. Release my agents and we can talk about our next move!"

" How can I trust you about this?" asked the former morian skeptically.

" If detonating your bases will not be enough to convince you, then perhaps this will! gestured the Admiral as he handed him over a golden box.

Schnitt took the box and studied it very carefully. Massive gold, with the name "Santiago" masterfully stylsed on it. Expecting no less than a bomb or someone's head, he opened it.

The smell nearly knocked him over. Inside were some of the best cigars he could have dreamed of. Wonderfully hand rolled, dark brown cigars with a golden leaf tag on them. It read...

" Santiago de Cuba! The best and most expensive brand in existance. Take them!"

Happy as a child after Christmas, Schnitt pocketed the prized box and put his hand around Andronic's shoulder. How ironic, they now looked like life long pals.

" My friends, let us celebrate our new partnership. But, before we do that, let me return your ghosts and some 100 barrels of gas as a welcome gift!"

As he said that, he pressed a button underneath his wristwatch. One of the APCs opened its doors to reveal Esmeralda and the rest of his squad, untied and unharmed.

Walking up to her, Marcu was very tempted to slap her face, but he restrained himself. Instead, he hugged her like a father huggs his daughter. After all, there was a 22 year difference between the two: Esmeralda turned 18 four months ago, while he turned 40 this month.

She liked to portray him as the father she never had. Growing up as an orphan in the Confederacy's cruel Ghost Program, she never really attached to anyone. Relations with her first squad have always been edgy. Once, she killed two of her underlings for disobeying her direct orders. After the Fall of Tarsonis, she was drafted into the Dominion Ghost Academy for a short while, before being set free by Andronic during the Korhal invasion.

Now, without all those neural inhibitors and memory wipes, she felt like she finally belonged somewhere. The people aboard the Decebalus were now her family and friends.

The Admiral looked her in the eyes, saw the relief, and then beckoned her and Josef to follow him to Schnitt's base.

Once they found themselves in his command center, they started discussing future strategies. All of them were centered on strenghtening their fleet and hitting their enemies hard and fast. The threat posed by the Dominion and Zerg alike was enough to worry them.

Everything seemed to be going well until a telescreen started beeping.

" Mind answering?" asked Esmeralda with a killer's tone.

" K, mam! said Schnitt with a hint of irony as he pressed the green button on the table.

And who da hell might you be, princess? he asked.

A marine, clad in a blood red CMC armor with a dragon on its visor, answered rather intrigued.

" Mind your tongue, boy, or I'll cut it for you! I am colonel Zack Curtis of the Terran Dominion. You are ordered to surrender all your forces or face death itself, morian!"

Schnitt was already smoking one of the cuban cigars in a defiant way, certainly not giving a shit about his enemy's threat.

" Well, you can shove your threats right up your exhaust pipe, you dog!'' he shouted.

Colonel Zack Curtis didn't like that response one bit. In fact, he was pretty annoyed, his eyes flared like laser batteries, while his hand was shaking uncontrollably; nervous indeed.

" In less than an hour, you and your friends will die at my hands! Don't say I didn't warn you!" he shouted as the screen shut down.

Marcu Andronic stood up. A true challenge, after all this time, was like a rainstorm in the desert. And getting revenge on one of those responsable for the destruction of the UED seemed a good way to end the day.

" Josef, I want the fleet to hide itself on the planet's surface. We need each and every one of our ships repaired and resupplied. In a word, airworthy!"

" It shall be done!" responded Josef.

The Admiral then turned to his ghost lieutenant, who was waiting impatiently.

" Esmeralda, you are tasked with protecting mr. Schnitt!"

The female ghost's beautiful ruby eyes burned with the desire to end Schnitt, rather than protect him. After all she went through today, it was understandable though.

" But sir...!" she tried to protest.

" No discussion! You all have your orders, now go!"

The Decebalus took position in the orbit, right above their allied base. Scanners indicated a fleet of 5 battlecruisers coming out of hyperspace. Marcu was surprised to find that they belonged to a new class, seemingly a lot stronger than the ones he met so far. They Dominion forces positioned themselves in a V formation and were powering their weapons.

" Josef, aim the yamato cannon right above the first ship's counterpart!" commanded Andronic.

An unimaginable wave of energy shot out of the UED ship, making contact with the enemy command ship just a few seconds before it itself launched its own killer shot. The impact caused a chain reaction with tremenduos consequences on the Dominion's side.

" Four left, two out of which are severly damaged. Engage them before they get a chance to take us down!" ordered the Admiral.

All the batteries aboard the Decebalus fired relentlessly at the damaged cruisers. The surgeon like precision of the exceptionally trained gunners made short work of them. However, not paying enough attention cost Andronic dearly, as one of the least damaged cruisers hit their rear hull and engines with a yamato blast.

The ship shook as if hit by an asteroid rain. The whole crew was down on its knees, still in shock. On the deck, the command crew, together with Josef and Andronic tried to asess the damage and mitigate it.

" Damn it! Damage report!"

" Shields down to 20. About 30% of the ship needs serious repairs, plus we've lost 150 people so far!" answered an alarmed Josef.

Furious that his ship's shields failed during when they shouldn't have, Marcu took the helm and retreated towards the planet's surface. It was Schnitt's turn to prove his worth to him, while the rest of the UED remnant fleet was still gathering. The AA would provide the much needed cover, if only he could reach the safe zone in time...


	3. 3: The hunter becomes the hunted

**Chapter 3** _ **: The hunter becomes the hunted**_

Damn that morian captain! The new Minotaur class battlecruisers should have made short work of his ship. One versus five and he already took out three of his ships. He will pay dearly for all of this.

" Unacceptable! Deploy all interceptors and begin pursuit of the enemy vessel! barked the Dominion colonel, Zack Curtis.

The Decebalus was retreating towards the AA defence field established by Schnitt. All sorts of auto-turrets, missile turrets, bunkers crammed with marines and goliaths waited on the ground.

"If only Trevor could get the other cruisers online in time..." Andronic muttered to himself but he was interrupted when another yamato blast hit the ship.

" We've lost the third engine!" shouted an officer.

" Sir, the shield generator is failing!" shouted another.

Panic struck directly into the hardened crew's hearts. Fires erupted in multiple sections if the lower hull, rendering the hangar and other facilities useless. Screams echoed on the corridors, the pain of the mortally wounded drowning all other sounds.

" Pizda măsii! (f*** his mother) Listen up people! I want all batteries to concentrate their firepower on the fighters. Take them out!

Marcu tried to hold his ground as long as he could. However, it became clear that if they were to get hit two or more times, the Decebalus will crashland on the planet, probably killing everyone onboard.

" We got him! Prepare yourselves for invading the planet! All military personel must board the drop pods and transport ships! We are claiming this place for the benefit of our people, FOR THE DOMINION! shouted colonel Zack.

He was lucky enough to escape his burning ship and was now looking forward to get even.

Marcu Andronic managed to reach his defensive line. Not a second later, most of the enemy fighters got shot down by the avalanche of rockets, bullets and lasers. And, as if waiting for the right moment, his two Scorpio class battlecruisers, together with the Lancaster warped in along with their wraith escorts.

Coming under attack from all sides, colonel Zack had no choice but to call off the invasion and evacuate. The cruiser he was on was the only surviving one and he had to make the warp jump. Had to, if only he had two more minutes to rewire the energy sources and power up the warp engines.

Onboard the Lancaster, Captain Trevor authorised the usage of the Yamato Cannon.

" 5...4...3...2...1...fire away! he ordered his officers.

The blast managed to destroy the enemy cruiser's engines and fusion reactor, blowing the whole thing to pieces.

" We won! We WON!" bursted all his people in a most joyful manner, as they watched the fireworks above them.

 _2 hours later, back at the UED command center on the surface._

Schnitt congratulated Admiral Andronic on his recent victory and the two went on to tell some cracked jokes and drink that bottle of brandy Andronic brought up from a country named France.

Deputee officer Josef and ghost lieutenant Esmeralda were enjoying a glass of wine, while flirting with each other. The young, 18 year old killer girl with blue, saphire like eyes and green hair had a cute smile on her pretty pink lips. Being a telepath, she could easily read the naughty thoughts of her partner. She closed the distance between them and gave his waiting mouth a long kiss. At least they had this whole night for themselves and she planned to make use of it.

They had two days off, but after that, Septuaginta was to be captured. They couldn't risk facing the might of the Dominion fleet just yet and they needed those starport facilities now more than ever. The Decebalus, Andronic's capital ship, was seriously damaged in the last battle. Repairs could me made, but certain spare parts were few and far between.

Schnitt provided them with more than enough means to power their forces. The former kel-morians wanted to be part of his UED remnant forces and exact revenge on Mengsk and overseer Kaljo.

Therefore, Marcu Andronic's forces nearly doubled as a result of the unification. His command extended over around 60000 people and he had to prove to them all that he was an appropiate leader.

 _2nd day off after the battle of Solaris Secunda, in the planet's capital, Satark._

Conflict nearly erupted between three formerly kel-morian marines and Esmeralda's ghost regiment. Schnitt tried his best to control his people, but he wouldn't succeed this time. To make matters worse, everyone was threatening everyone at gun point. He had to put an end to their foolishness before something worse was going to happen.

Andronic told his guards to stay away, as he exited the main command center in Satark. Looking confident and undeterred by anything of anyone, the former captain turned admiral of the UED remnants placed himelf between the opposing forces, with no weapons on him.

„ Get out of the way, earthling! This isn't your fight!" shouted one of the marines.

„ He's right, sir! followed Esmeralda. You must get out of the way; let us finish this!"

„ On the contrary, my friends, this IS OUR fight! said the Admiral while looking them up.

Ever since mankind took to space, defeating the alien races has been OUR fight! You- he pointed to everyone there, including himself- are all descendents of the people on Earth! Out here, in the Koprulu Sector, we cannot allow simple feuds to tear us apart!

You want an example? Here it is! Instead of destroying the zerg and the protoss, we, the UED, the Dominion, the Kel-Morian Combine and the Umojan Protectorate, fought amongst ourselves like idiots. And what was the result? The so-called Queen of Blades, Sarah Kerrigan, slaughtered most of DuGalle's forces, himself included. The system is riddled with the remnants of the Brood Wars, a testimony of my, yours, OUR foolish civil wars!

We must unite once more and bring hope to those that want a peaceful, alien free sector.

I don't want my children wo wake up in a world consumed by war and hatred!"

His speech managed to soothe both their spirits and their hearts. Both sides of the conflict dropped their weapons, as they came to realise how much truth was in Admiral Andronic's words.

Schnitt rushed to his marines and was on the point of scolding them, yet Andronic told him off. They had a right to doubt him and protest if they felt like it. However, that didn't mean they had to be punished for it. They had more important things to worry about, such as invading Septuaginta.

„ Now, would you please start preparing for the invasion? I don't know about you but I want to end the Dominion threat once and for all!"

The others cheered his name and went about completeing their work.

 _Third day after the battle of Solaris Secunda, 9:43 AM._

The Decebalus was finally fly-worthy. It required the combined effort of 2000 engineers and SCVs to repair the most seroious damage, which had been inflicted on the engines and the lower hull. However, the shields took a serious beating, one of the engines was beyond repair but at least the hangars were finally operational, thus allowing them to deploy interceptors.

„ Prepare for warp jump on my command! said Admiral Andronic while looking over his amassed forces: 6 battlecruisers ready for action- more than enough. „ Jump!"

The journey was full of disturbances, yet none of the ships encountered any serious problems.

They reached the enormous planet of Septuaginta in a matter of minutes. The green coloured gas giant looked utterly inhospitable, yet it is widely known that appearences cand be very deceiving. Esmeralda's mission against Schnitt was the best and most recent example of it.

The commander tweaked his holo-table and the portraits of the other captains popped up.

„ All forces report in!"

„ Lancaster here!" reported captain Trevor.

„ Atlantic here!" said captain Leonard.

„ Burgas here!" said captain Ragnar.

Now came his new aquisitions, in the form of two improved Behemoth class cruisers.

„ Moonreaver here!" answered captain Schnitt.

„ Gladius here!" answered Schnitt's second in command, Henri.

„ Alright! The scanners and the data we recovered from Curtis indicate that the starports are hidden beneath the planet's stormy atmospheres. Be on the lookout!"

„ Acknowledged!" each captain said, before the transmission was suddenly cut off.

The cruisers had a hard time making their way through the sheer darkness of the clouds. Being bombarded by sand, rocks, bits and metal and what else, from all sides, they were beginning to lose their patience until...

„ Sir! Dominion base right ahead!" reported Josef and he steered the ship to the right, narrowly hitting one of the support beams.

„ We've got contact!" said Trevor as he moved in with the Lancaster.

„ Alright ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Septuaginta! Now, I want a code 3 defensive formation. Launch all interceptors!" shouted Andronic via all comm links.

The battle that ensued was nothing short of a legend. Using their refurbished valkyries and the might of their cruisers, they managed to shred the dominion vikings and wraiths to pieces. The enemy AA, however, was preventing them from landing all their forces on the platforms. Thus, the task of boarding the installations became a priority for all his elite forces.

Leaving Josef at the helm, Marcu boarded his Royal Goliath, a monster nearly two times as big as a regular goliath, equipped with 6 autocannons, two gatling guns and Lanzer torpedoes plus a huge load of ammo to last him for three days.

Along with him came 25 regular goliaths, 15 siege tanks, 30 firebats, 200 marines and Esmeralda and her 39 ghosts. All of them had received the best training availible and run over 100 tests together.

The drop pods arrived at the destination, the southern hangars, undeterred by the AA, which was too busy with the cruisers. As they exited their one-way transports, scores of auto-turrets tried to stop them, but Andronic took them out with a storm of bullets.

What they didn't count on was the motherload of vikings that hadn't lifted off. In robot mode, these machines have proven to be very troublesome, as their gatling guns fired relentlessly at the UED marines, shredding them to pieces like swiss cheese. The tanks were the only thing that managed to keep them at bay, but even they had to be careful not to let them get too close.

Esmeralda made use of her excellent sniping skills to shoot the pilots through their reinforced glass shields. The other ghosts followed her example and soon, the viking army in front of them was dwindling with each minute.

„ This is it!" shouted Andronic as he advanced with his goliath group. He then pressed a few buttons and a pair of tactical goggles appeared next to him. Putting them on, he delimited the firing perimeter and pulled a lever.

Nobody would have ever expected what happened next.

Admiral Andronic's Royal Goliath launched a volley of about 300 rockets at the tightly grouped vikings, oblitterating them in a matter of seconds, much to the amazement of his troops and the others who were watching through the camera links.

The female ghost operative let out a long whistle, which Andronic heard in his headphones.

„ I presume you all liked that, yes?" he chuckled.

„ That... was amazing sir! I haven't seen it before! she said as she sniped down the incoming marines.

„ Ha! You should have seen me back at the testing facilities on Earth! Now those were some good times! But enough of that, let's keep pressing forward! Josef and the others are still having a hard time with that AA grid turned against them."

They split their forces into two parts, one lead by Andronic, and the other by Esmeralda, in order to clean the bases more efficiently.

Andronic turned to his left, narrowly avoiding a siege tank's shock cannon blast. He again ducked to the right, but managed to close the distance between them and render the enemy artillery useless. No one was foolish enough to kill his own troops and the he knew that. That is why he and a few hand-picked goliaths always lead the way against targets like this.

„ We've got three enemy attack waves incoming! Marines, plug that gap in the left flank now! I want the siege tanks deployed in the middle and remember, use those shock cannons only from a safe distance! Repeat, I don't want our man killed by friendly fire, got it?"

„ Sir, yes sir!" answered his highly motivated men. He managed to cheer them up in their darkest of hours and leading by example was one of his best tactics of achieving victory. What commander can just seat behind a desk all the time and expect his troops to follow his orders blindly and to the letter? If he remembered well, that was one of Jim Raynor's preferred courses of action. Perhaps if him and Andronic were on the same side, they would have struck terrible blows to the Dominion's power in a matter of weeks. However, last time they met it was during the Second Battle of Korhal and they were on opposing sides. He wondered as to what they would say or do once they will meet again.

„ Viking rocket assault, watch out!" shouted one of the marines, as he took cover behind a pile of rubble. Several of his companions did the same thing, as they couldn't hope to survive damage on that magnitude. Two of the tanks, however, weren't that lucky and got burned to a crisp, along with their crew and defenders.

„ Get some goliaths to counter their flyers now!" ordered a tank sergeant, while he emptied his shockwave blasts onto the incoming waves of vultures and marines.

„ Target desginated!" responded a goliath captain as he directed his 15 machines against the flyers. The new and improved Lanzer torpedoes had a pretty large area effect. Add to that the fact that more than 100 had been launched in a matter of seconds and the effect would be pretty obvious.

„ For Earth! For mankind! shouted Andronic as they continued their advance towards the station's main command center.

Esmeralda had some trouble sneaking around and sniping her adversaries from a safe distance, because the base had a motherload of detectors installed, from missile turrets to science vessels. This rendered her cloak useless; the same happened to the ghosts in her subordination. Even their advanced Hekats-class suits couldn't hide them from more than a detector.

But, since the dear Admiral was generous enough to give them support troops, Esmeralda quickly put together very capable troop combinations and it didn't take long for the results to show.

The female ghost operative made a run for the platform ahead of her. She covered one kilometer in a record time: 5 minutes. Thanks to the enhancements made to her suit, sprinting was more effective than ever. And she definately needed them, since the floor was riddled with trap doors, hidden autoguns, perdition-turrets, and many other nasty surprises.

Her ghost escorts provided her with cover fire, giving her enough time to hack into the systems and disable the base's inner defences. It seemed that that short period of time spent in the Dominion Ghost Academy finally paid off; hacking codes were never her specialty, but that didn't mean that she was incapable of breaking into a data system, corrupting an A.I. and so on.

Andronic was having a hard time destroying the enemy command center. Septuaginta's governor locked himself in the command center and had activated the Ibikis Cannon. As if it wasn't enough, all auto-turrets around him began firing on the UED remnant forces.

The Admiral positioned his two remaining siege tanks away from heavy enemy fire, while doing hit&run attacks on the fortified command center. Damage was done constantly, but the Dominion didnt't have the luxury of bringing SCVs in, for they would come under fire from the tanks long-range blasts. He, however, managed to „convince" a few enemy SCVs to repair his mechs.

Andronic launched one of his volley attacks, taking out part of the defensive grid and one of the barrels of the Ibikis Cannon. Out of the sudden and much to his surprise, the auto-turrets simply shut down, allowing his forces to converge on the enemy position.

„ That's my girl!" he mentally congratulated Esmeralda.

„ Dont't mention it... DAD!" she answered thelepathicly.

„ That's... new!" he added, but then turned his attention back to the battlefield or what was left of it, anyway.

Once they were done with the inner base, Andronic had Esmeralda change Septuaginta's codes with theirs, bringing the facilities under their control... and using the AA against the remaining Dominion forces.

From now, the starports belonged to them. Septuaginta was UED private property.

His forces used the opportunity to repair their damaged ships and replace those that were lost. With the help of the resources they had at their disposal and the Minotaur-class cruiser plans they found hidden away in the labs, they would increase their fleet in no time.

For the next four months, they worked long and hard to extend their control over the entire Solaris system. They practically brought 6 planets to their control and terraformed them faster than anyone could have expected. Solaris Secunda became their HQ, although secondary ones were established on Solaris III and Septuaginta. Colonies were founded on each of the planets, although they were hidden form sight, as a safety measure.

They had more than enough time to plan and ponder their next moves.

The Universe seemed to finally smile upon them!


	4. 4: The past vs the future

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own Starcraft, nor do I make a profit from any activity relating with the franchise.

 **Author's note:** _ **First, I would like to thank all my readers for viewing my fanfiction! It is always great to see that people appreciate your work! :)) If you would be so kind as to give your opinion about this story, I would appreciate it. If it got you interested, you can always follow it! ;)**_

 _ **Still, I liked both the game and the story very much. Thus I felt I should develop part of it in a new way. The UED fascinated me and the perspective of a terran remnant group, light years away from Earth, with no chance of going back and having to confront an entire sector seemed to be a good starting point for a story involving both the original characters and some new, unique ones. I will try to stick to the original story as best as I can. However, remember that this is a fanficiton and not everything must go according to the letter.**_

 **Chapter 4:** _ **The past vs the future**_

Those 4 months of relative peace and stability had a great positive impact on his forces, both in terms of materials and morals. The unified forces of the UED remnants led by admiral Marcu Andronic and Kel Morian renegades led by captain Schnitt had become a force to be reckoned with. As such, it didn't take long for them to be noticed by the other factions in the Koprulu Sector.

The Admiral was in his private appartment, watching a movie called "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith". He took a liking in the movie series, because it seemed to accurately anticipate the progress humanity made in just a millenia. The betrayal, the drama, the shattered hopes... yes, this movie had them all. However, he was interrupted when Esmeralda bursted through the door, not caring at all about privacy. To her, a ghost, privacy was inexistent.

" My dear, didn't I teach you to knock and announce yourself before entering someone's room?" the Admiral asked with a fatherly tone, while pausing his movie.

" Yes dad, but there's someone looking for you on the holo-screen back on the deck. He says it's important!" the ghost said, rolling her beatiful, sapphire blue eyes.

" You really do like calling me dad, don't you?" Andronic asked, looking her in the eyes.

Esmeralda took to playing with her ponytail, rolling it over and over again while gazing absently at her left hand. Her eyes had a hint of sadness, doubled by joy and a bit of fright, as she didn't really know what his reaction would be. She didn't dare probe his mind; it would have been ungrateful on her part. Still, asking someone to be your father, after living an entirely orphan life wasn't an easy matter at all.

" It's just..." she started, but it took her time to speak, as she had to fight the need to cry " It's just that I've lived my entire life as a machine, a cold blooded killer. I had no one, cared for no one and learned to kill innocent persons ever since I turned 9 years old! The memories are horrible; not knowing your parents is even more horrible.

" Experiments were conducted upon me, especially since my Psi Index reached 7 at the fragile age of 16. The days spent in a surgery room and medbays exceeded does spent training or on the field. I was cut, bled dry and then resupplied with blood. I was subjected to various electrical devices, because some egghead wanted to find out what it took to train a ghost to destroy a tank or a battlecruiser." she said, sometime pausing for a minute, before continuing.

" The screams, the terror, the nightmares, the needles filled with God knows what dubious substances, they were so common, that after countless months, I lost hope of ever being free. The memory swipes and Psi Controllers they put on me only amplified the nightmare." she told him and then began to slowly cry.

" But you had bursted in that day, wreaking havoc on the cursed facility. I tried to stop you, to kill you, but it wasn't my intent. I wanted you to kill me, to set me free. But you didn't do such a thing. You watched my in my eyes, piercing through the shroud of confusion and reaching my mind and soul. You saw my suffering, you understood it and pledged to protect me!"

" How could I not call you my father?" she said with a trembling voice.

Marcu Andronic stood up and approached her. He then hugged her and tried to comfort her. His voice was like a song to her wounded soul. His words brought up her will to live her life to the fullest.

" Then I am glad you see me that way, my dear daughter, Esmeralda! There are those of us who see life not as an endless, predictable cicle, where everybody has to do a certain action, to fill a role designed for them. Instead, I strongly believe that each of us, wether it is me or you orJosef or Schnitt, has to see with his soul. Only then would his mind be strong enough to discern the truth. Life is not rigid. Paths are not always straight and devoid of obstacles. Bear that in mind, my daughter!"

" I will, dad, I will! Thank you for everything!" she said, smiling, finally free of her demons.

" Now that we sorted this out, can I please ask something of you?

" Anything!

" Ok, then. Would you be as kind as to limit your passionate afternoon and midnight dates with Josef? I don't mean to forbid you from loving him. It's just that he has recently been sloppy and spent. I think someone is taking all his energies and thoughts! the admiral smiled while patting her on her head.

" Sir, yes sir!" she straightened up and cloaked.

Andronic smiled and thought to himself: " She's an angel!". Nonetheless, he was keeping his visitor waiting and that was impolite. Thus, he raced to the deck, waiving a hand at anyone who passed him by and saluted him. Once he was in the command room, he could see that Josef, Schnitt and Esmeralda, plus a few of his trustworthy officers were already gathered around the holo-table. A strange ghost operative, wearing a black armor suit, with bright red circuits, and a mask which resembled a skull, but with larger eyes and a gas mask. His voice was distorted by the use of a voice coder, but was still kind of scary. It was as if a deadman came back to haunt them... not that they would be afraid or anything.

" Greetings, admiral! he began.

" Bună ziua şi ţie! Might I know who you are and what are you doing in my security systems? asked a visibly digusted Andronic.

" Come now, mr Andronic! I've had a real hard time getting past your protocols. What I've seen and heard got me very interested, oh yes! the strange ghost said.

Schnitt blew a smoke circle towards the projection, slightly annoying the unwanted guest.

" Took ya long enough, umojan scum!

The way the strange ghost moved his head was obvious that he didn't take lightly to being insulted. Even the others would at least ponder their words before speaking with someone clever enough to get past Josef's professional coding.

" Codename Black Knife, pleased to meet you, morian traitor! And you too, UED remnant forces!"

" So you have been meddling in our affairs, eh? Futu-ţi crucea mătii! (f*** your mother's cross) added a most annoyed Andronic, while clenching his fists until the bones cried.

" I have, though I still cannot begin to understand your language, Admiral!" the ghost continued, while looking at his wrist computer." Your swearings don't make any sense! But that is not what I am here to discuss about!"

" Then what is it that you are looking for?" asked Esmeralda.

" It's not what, it's who!

" Then try your luck at Mengsk's Lost&Found store on Korhal!" suggested the former morian captain, while the others bursted into laughter.

" Ha-ha, very funny mister Schnitt! Now that you are done joking, I wish to speak with mr. Andronic here... alone!

The captain wasn't intent on letting the intruder get away with it, nor let himself be humiliated like that, especially by an umojan spy. He certainly did not expect the admiral to gesture him and the others to leave the room.

" Would you be as kind as to leave us for a few minutes, Schnitt? That goes for you too, Esmeralda and Josef. I'm sure you would find something else to do for the next hour, right?" he asked with a joker's smile.

The pair blushed slightly and left the deck, followed by a rather reluctant Schnitt and the rest of his officers. The Admiral was left alone on the communicator with a ghost they didn't know anything about. What could possibly go wrong?

" You amaze me, Admiral!" Black Knife said.

Andronic raised an eyebrow and gave him a perfectly ignorant look.

" Why is that?" he asked.

" Apart from the fact that you managed to escape tha trap the zerg caught the UED in? Well, I can see that you have a different approach, one that could benefit the both of us!"

" How?"

" I am currently looking for mercenaries that can serve my Protectorate. The pay is good and, above all, you can land some serious blows on the Dominion and the Kel-Morian Combine. You needn't worry about them suspecting our alliance though, as we have the best spies in the Koprulu Sector, if not in the entire Universe. Nothing can best us at our job. Yes, the best proof of this is us hacking into your network after we heard Septuaginta had "technical" difficulties for about a month."

Andronic paced around the room for a while, choosing his next words carefully. This new situation was unexpected and could have dangerous consequences if not handled correctly.

" How do I know that you won't sell us after we've outlived our usefulness?" he asked, pointing at the perplexed intruder.

" Good question! It seems you know a bit about our customs!" Black Knife answered, rather amused. I am joking, partially at least!" he chuckled, but when he met Andronic's killer stare, he backed down and said: " Fine, I will give you my word!"

" I'm afraid it will not be enough in this situation, mr Black!"

" Then I will feed you some information that I bet you are interested in, that is, if you are interested in our deal at all, mr Andronic!"

" Ok, I'll give it some thought. Call me curious, but what did you have in mind for us?"

" A high priority mission. Prove your worth by hitting a high priority dominion target. Let's say... Braxis. You familiar with the place?"

Admiral Marcu Andronic took two of his medals and stuck them to the projection, right in the strange ghost's eyes.

" Does this mean I am?" he asked ironically.

To his amazement, Black Knife didn't seem to be impressed at all. Granted, he looked a bit worried, if one could read his gestures correctly.

" It means you were... 3 years ago! I bet the Duke clan would want you dead for the humiliation you inflicted on Edmund about three years ago. Still, we shall see if you can keep to that legacy you've established! Goodbye! said Black Knife, thus ending the transmission.

 _1 hour later, 17:31 ship time_

Admiral Marcu Andronic summoned all his captains and his most trusted officers to convene on their next steps. Such radical decisions in critical moments weren't his to take personally; he needed counseling, just like any wise ruler.

Schnitt suggested changing their name so that the rest of the Universe won't recognise them. It would also cement the alliance between the UED remnants and renegade Kel-Morians under their joint command.

Josef and Esmeralda both agreed to his proposal, while the rest of the captains and officers didn't object at all.

" What should we call ourselves?" asked captain Trevor.

" Space Crusaders!" said Schnitt.

" Andronians or Marcians!" proposed an ever smiling Esmeralda, before all of them began laughing hard.

" LOL, good joke, my dear!" admitted Andronic, as it was hard even for him not to laugh from time to time. " Now seriously, could you come up with a real name? he asked smiling.

They all had a pause for thought, which was interrupted by an awed Josef.

" Argonauts!" he proposed, getting everybody's attention.

" Interesting choice! Might I know why this name?" asked Andronic.

" We all know the legend of the greek heroes that called themselves like that. For those who don't, please watch the Movie Disk #31 back in the cinema room. They were different, yet united in a common goal. Ours shall be finding freedom and sanctuary on a planet of our own, far from our mortal enemies. A place that we can call home!"

" True- the Admiral admitted- yet that path leads through our mortal enemies. We shall defeat them, and only then will our dream come true!" he said stretching his right hand, beckoning the others to follow his example and put their hands above each other.

" Hmph, it's just like in those team-buildings you'd see on TV!" laughed captain Trevor.

The Admiral had to five captain Schnitt some credit. In those 4 months since they've known each other, the former morian has proven to be a reliable, resourceful and creative officer, as well as a friend. He could barely recall the nights when they had drinkin contests in the cantina. The barman could not believe his eyes when he saw both of them enter his honourable establishment. Nor did he ever believed that two men could empty 2 cryo-freezer's worth of alchohol in only 5 hours. " Ah, good times!" he thought and smiled. The one thing that amused him the most was the way Schnitt always tried to flirt with Esmeralda. Sure, it was normal for them to get to know each other and improve their relationship, as it hadn't been the friendliest since they met in such a violent way, Yet his adoptive daughter kept the captain at bay most of the time, shooting down any attempt at winning her heart.

They agreed on the name and the following approach. Once their new Minotaur-class battlecruisers would be finished, the Argonauts till pay the Dominion another visit, albeit not as friendly as the last one.

Since they all agreed on the name, they also gave their ships, vehicles, buildings, armor and clothing a bright yellow logo in the form of a greek trierme. Also, their identification lights, paintjobs and beacons will also have that colour. Marcu had to wwait another two weeks until his new cruisers received their final touches. Therefore, he used this spare time to plan his next move.

Captain Schnitt made some improvements to his battlecruiser, Moonreaver, adding 10 more twin-barreled laser batteries and 20 more Nexus power cells, which sped up his Yamato Cannon's rate of fire.

The duo managed to finally end the differences between their formerly separated groups, thus making them a unitary force to be reckoned with. Andronic knew he had to get the support of at least one of the major terran factions in the Koprulu Sector, if he wanted to take down Mengsk. Since the Kel-Morian Combine wasn't an option, this meant that the Umojan Protectorate would be their only useful ally. Their advanced spy network certainly had many advantages.

The Argonauts's colonies were well placed and defended, yet the force they now posessed wasn't enough to withstand a direct confrontation with what the Dominion could muster. Marcu Andronic went to great lenghts when it came to defending his poeple. Hiding the conquest of Septuaginta was one of the hardest tricks they've ever pulled, yet it was well deserved, since the Dominion bought it.

 _Two weeks later_

Sir, the battlecruisers are up and running!" said deputee officer Josef Harding. "We may converge on Braxis if you wish!

" No, that can wait! I intend to pay a visit to Deadman's Port." the Admiral answered.

Josef couldn't believe his ears. When the former admiral, Gerard DuGalle called all the captains and their officers for their two weeks of briefing sessions, he managed to learn quite a bit about the Koprulu Sector. Not to mention that a lot of his colleagues were overconfident and careless, firmly believing that the might of the Earth's Fleets will suffice and will not imply filling their precious heads with useless information. Well, that lead to a different result, it would seem. Still, Josef remembered the incredibly lawless planet of Deadman's Rock, one even the UED didn't bother conquer. Aside from being virtually devoid of any major resource field, the planet was ungovernable, deadly, both in terms of nature and people. If one can survive the acid rains and toxic waste clouds that made their way to the surface once every two days, then undoubtlebly will he die at the hands of some cutthroat. Loyalties were bought and sold like some goods on the market; to some degree, that was practicly the whole deal. Sure, they may have experience and all, but the mercs had a habit of betraying uncomfortable buyers if the money wasn't good enough or if somone offered a better bounty.

" But sir, that place is crawling with the worst of cutthroats and scumbags! I don't see any viable reason for us to risk our lives by going there!" He tried to protest, but the Admiral calmed him down with a gesture of his hand.

" I understand your worries. Still, you are right, that place is indeed filled with lowlives. They might recognise us and the Dominion might poke around, but I have a feeling that I will find something very useful there!"

" And what would that be?" Asked Josef, while raising a brow and folding his arms.

Marcu Andronic seemed every bit as calm as ever. He was sure of himself. And he had many reasons to be this way, thanks to that tip he received from Black Knife. If it was true, it would give them an edge in the upcoming fight.

" You needn't worry, officer! Just input the coordinates and make sure our fleet keeps on track. I shall take care of the rest!" Andronic answered and proceeded to check his forces.

 _11:07 AM, Decebalus Ship time._

The Argonaut fleet assembled above Solaris Secunda. In total, they had 12 battlecruisers availible for this mission. They could not bring along the might of their forces, as they had to defend their colonies from any possible threats. Half of what he now had at his disposal were the very ships that participated in the conquest of Septuaginta, while the other half was composed of 6 minotaur class cruisers, all manned up by their elite, now fully unified forces.

 _Deadman's Rock, 18:04 the same day, Decebalus Ship time._

After about 7 hours of tiresome travel through hyperspace lanes and multiple commercial routes, they finally reached the wretched mercenary capital of the Koprulu Sector. Scanners on, they found out that the place was indeed crawling with countless "private military factions". After Schnitt submitted the data disks that Andronic had requested, Josef and Esmeralda managed to identify three main forces, each led by three ruthless, witty, yet shady figures: Mira Han, Ethan Stewart and colonel Orlan.

The planet itself looked even worse live, as it did in the reports. Granted, the pictures and films were taken about 4-5 years ago, but who could have guessed a place could worsen that much in such a short period of time. They had to be very, very careful down there. The toxic, green and orange coloured air was a clue as to what kind of people made a living in this hellhole. Some might argue that the classical, burning hell, was prettier than Deadman's Rock.

Still, Andronic ordered Josef to land in one of the two main cities, Paradise. The deputee officer had some trouble avoiding all the debris both in the air and on the ground.

Schnitt's angry voice came through to them via comm-link. He too was having a real hard time getting past the planet's "natural defence grid"- as it was described in the UED briefing videos-, composed of metal parts, rocks and, why not, radioactive waste.

Finally, after half an hour of hard work, the Decebalus and the Moonreaver both managed to dock safely. The other 10 ships were to remain in orbit around the planet, on stand-by. He wouldn't want the scoundrels here to think that he came as an invader. That would give him too much trouble and would inquire a prolonged, costly war effort that he wasn't prepared to pay; not if he could avoid it, for now.


	5. 5: A mercenary's honour

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own Starcraft, nor do I make a profit from any activity relating with the franchise.

 **Author's note:** _ **First, I would like to thank all my readers for viewing my fanfiction! It is always great to see that people appreciate your work! :)) If you would be so kind as to give your opinion about this story, I would appreciate it. If it got you interested, you can always follow it! ;)**_

 _ **Still, I liked both the game and the story very much. Thus I felt I should develop part of it in a new way. The UED fascinated me and the perspective of a terran remnant group, light years away from Earth, with no chance of going back and having to confront an entire sector seemed to be a good starting point for a story involving both the original characters and some new, unique ones. I will try to stick to the original story as best as I can. However, remember that this is a fanficiton and not everything must go according to the letter.**_

 **Chapter 5:** _ **A mercenary's honour**_

 _The city of Paradise, Deadman's Rock, 13:32 Decebalus time_

Marcu Andronic had a hard time convincing the mercenary "customs office" that he wasn't a Dominion agent. The ten marines and four civilians that he spoke to wanted to inspect his ship- and probably steal something- but Josef and Schnitt both had a presence of spirit: he took out their credits briefcases and paid the so callled "gift of freindship", a very old tradition on Deadman's Rock. The grunts were indeed glad to obtain 300 credits each for their trouble, which in turn meant they could drink themselves to oblivion for a month.

Of course, that wasn't the Argonauts's intent. As per his new friends's recommendation, Marcu Andronic decided to take Esmeralda and Schnitt with him to " The Unending Hangover", the most famous bar in all Paradise, if one could call this city of rubble, waste and scrap a paradise leaving Josef to guard the ships.

The trio were walking down the dirty streets, carefully observing the mess around them. Most streets lacked proper cleaning, some even sewage, the houses looked deplorable, to say the least. One would argue that they were made using cheap steel plates bolted together, if nothing else. However, as Schnitt pointed out, this place did not abide by any law, including those of logic and good sense. Esmeralda wasn't feeling well either. Ever since they landed, she could practically feel all those psionically gifted around her. After a lenghty count, she realised there were 5 ghosts following their every step, some more were in the bars and shacks scattered all over the city, but those last ones were not to worry about; not for now.

Almost no one was on the streets. Strange as it would seem, it was too early for the city's population to go out for a stroll. It was only about 1 PM, meaning they had to be asleep or at least resting until the late night deals, kills and drinks.

The group managed to reach the aforementioned location without any incidents. Andronic was wearing his usual UED captain uniform, not caring one bit about possible consequences. Since the Dominion rarely visited the place, he only had to worry about the mercs, but he already thought of everything.

The Admiral pushed the bar's two bouncers aside without giving a damn about their opinion, while Esmeralda and Schnitt followed suit. The bar was full of people, at least 8 scumbags were gathered at a table, playing cards , drinking, trading or chatting. Some were wearing CMC armor suit, albeit older versions, others wore simple clothes, practical yet fancy in their own way. Fashion was a foreign word to all but the capos of the pirate factions around Deadman's Rock. The metalic building was sturdier than most, it was fireproof, as he deduced and had the best air filters on the market; not that it was a surprise, given the abnormal pollution levels in the city. Four floors, each packed with the worst of people, women and men alike,

They all stared at him as them like a pack of lions. prey right for the taking. Wether it was killing, extorting or anything similar, it didn't bother them. One way or another, they will make a profit. The three strangers however...

" If anyone is looking for a fight without a reason, then he is as stupid as a donkey in heat!" started Andronic, catching the establishment by surprise. " Cuz I am here to do business with a certain gentleman that goes by the name of Graven Hill!"

Schnitt and Esmeralda were both on high alert. They hadn't counted on Andronic being so direct in his approach. The scales were simply not in their favour, should they be attacked. They lacked the credits to bribe their way out of this encounter. In fact, acquiring credits represented a problem, since they couldn't just show their face just like that and expect no one to notice who they really were. Even on this shithole, as Esmeralda named it, they weren't exactly welcome either. Here, danger lurks everywhere and nowhere, biding its time until you make that one fatal mistake. Schnitt hoped that this wasn't that very mistake.

Six dirty, angry looking characters stood up and closed in around Andronic. Two of them were wearing CMC armor suits, the old Brood Wars versions, while the others were dressed "casually". Knives and knuckles prepared, they gazed upon the former UED captain with their killer stares. It was enough to freeze just about anybody into place.

" Do ya think ya can mess with us, puny man?" asked the giant marine while he unsheeted a Balisong knife.

" Yea! Look at him, all shiny and shit! I would love to smear his blood all over the place!" shouted a maniac woman with a mechanical arm.

All of them laughed histerically for a while, taunting him with all their stupid jokes and remarks, which only reinforced his thought that they are beyond salvation. That meant he could end them without second guesses. So, without a moment's hesitation, he kicked the armed marine's hand in a weak spot and took his Balisong knife. He then proceeded to punch the woman in the head, sending her flying into a metal wall. The other marine tried to strangle him, but Andronic shoved the knife in a certain place in the armor's chest, disabling it. Knowing everything about Brood War era machinery certainly had its advantages.

" Die, you son of a gun!" shouted all three remaining thugs, only to be interrupted by a shout, all too familiar to most of them.

" Stand down, my friends, or you'll regret it!" said a man in his early sixties, with gray hair, blue eyes and a benevolent voice. He was dressed in a red and blue valet coat, with white pants, white gloves and gravity boots. Although he didn't look like he could hurt even a fly, it was always a mistake to take him for a piece of junk. He was a world renowned assasin, who went by the name of Phillip Randall.

" Oh shit, it's him!"

" Shh! We don't want the big honcho to find out!"

" Yea, let's leave the trash and go back to our game!"

Andronic was a bit surprised by what just happened. He was on the verge of teaching these lowlifes a lesson in manners, when this peculiar man emerges and manages to calm them down with just one sentence. Amazing. Or is it?

" I am Phillip Randall", the valet said, extending his hand and Andronic shook it politely. " I must say, you do not seem to heed the signs of danger even when they are about to slap you in the face! he said jokingly. Still, you put up a remarkable fight. It goes to show that nobody can push you around here and that is something I like!"

" Marcu Andronic, pleased to meet you, mr. Randall! I was looking for a man named Graven Hill. This place seemed to be the best starting point for my search."

" Interesting. Might I know why him and not just any other middleman?"

" I heard he has connections with most groups and factions around this sector. That would be very useful for me! Andronic added, giving the valet a confident look.

Esmeralda telepathicly warned him that the valet was every bit as dangerous as a regular Dominion ghost, without the psionics, but with 40 years of experience in killing his targets.

" Indeed he does! However, I believe my lord can be of better assistance to you! You see, sir Ethan Stewart is one of the most powerful and influential people around here. Nothing goes by without him knowing of it, not even your arrival. It would be wise to respond to his invitation! the valet said giving Andronic a no refusal look.

The Admiral knew the situation wasn't as easy as he had hoped. He did not take into account being identified so quickly by someone like this " Ethan Stewart", a crime lord, no doubt. Perhaps their true colors weren't found yet, although mr Randall had an all-knowing look in his sharp blue eyes. Something told him that it would be better to see what this was all about. If nothing more, he would at least make contact with Deadman's Rock's nobility. What an honour, yes!

" I accept! answered Andronic, but then turned to Schnitt and Esmeralda and added: We accept!"

" Then off we go!" the valet said and stepped out of the bar, beckoning them to follow him closely.

He lead the trio through a miriad of dirty streets, going up and down, left and right, as if they were struggling in a maze. Paradise was in itself a maze, at least the ghettos and the nasty neighborhoods (which comprised over 85% of the city's space and population). The rest was just beginning to present itself to the new visitors.

Andronic, Esmeralda and Schnitt could not believe their eyes, as they saw the lavished mansions on the sides of the cobblestone streets. Old houses, resembling mansions from Earth or Korhal, made of specially treated wood, stone, concrete, iron, all beautifully decorated with various ornaments, some made out of gold even. Amazingly, they all appeared to be in a perfect state, no damage whatsoever. No one even dared to steal from these places of immense wealth. Maybe because they would be dead before they depart from the planet's surface.

Phillip Randall took a turn to the right, walking faster and showing them his master's domain.

" Most impressive! I did not believe this poisonous planet would house a 50 hectare palace and domain! admitted the Admiral.

" Yes, it is a beauty!" the valet nodded as he opened the great silvery gate. They then entered the grandiose property and walked the stoned alleyway that went to the palace's front stairs. " Please, enter and do not wait for me! My master is expecting you in his dining room, first floor, last room on the corridor! he said, ushering them inside and closing the doors behind them.

Without another word, the trio followed the valet's directions, passing thorough corridor after corridor, each more ornate than the other. This lord of his certainly had a taste for weapons, paintings and golden statues. There was no room that was lacking in any of these objects. Once in a while, other servants passed them by, without giving so much of a salute. They worked for over 10 years for the crime lord, so that meant they knew when and who would make it out or not. It seems they didn't give the Admiral and his friends any chances at all.

They found the white marble stairs, covered with blood red carpets and proceeded to the first floor. On their left and their right, elite mercenary units guarded the hallways, always smiling, always optimistic about their income; not so about the guests though.

" Please enter- one of them said- sir Stewart is expecting you!" said one of the more respectable looking merc officers.

" Thank you!" answered Andronic as the huge, green painted pine doors opened to reveal an even more luxurious dining room... and their host.

Ethan Stewart, one of the most famous crime lords on Deadman's Rock and the de facto ruler of Paradise, awaited them at the other side of his mahony dining table. He was a man in his fourties, bald, with green eyes and an innocent smile on his face. Being dressed in a casual, white and green suit, he looked like a reasonable man; a normal, level headed one even. However, Schnitt pointed out that they should be very careful with this shady character, as information on him was very scarce and inconsequent. It meant that he had the element of surprise and, why not, of deceit on his side.

He stood up, then went on to shake Andronic's hand.

\- Admiral, I am so pleased to meet you! My name is Ethan Paul Stewart and I am the not so modest ruler of this not so modest domain! he began, ever smiling.

\- The feeling is mutual, my friend! I am Admiral Marcu Andronic of the Argonauts independent battlegroup. We come in peace! he said, giving the crime lord a strong hand shake.

Stewart proceeded to shake hands with both Schnitt and Esmeralda, stopping to admire the young, beautiful ghost for a few seconds, before leading them to their seats; next to his, of course.

He pressed a button underneath the table, commanding his servants to bring the main courses.

First came an octopus soup, with salt, bread and some strange, spicy sauce, which Esmeralda had to eat, despite her obvious disgust for the very unusual animal. it was followed by a vegetable salad, assorted with vinegar and sunflower oil, a rarity even on farming colonies, and roasted wild boar from Agria. Last but not least came a chocolate and coconut cake, enough for all four of them.

 _After 1 and a half hour of eating and drinking like pigs_

" Sir, I must congratulate you on your luxury!" said Esmeralda finishing her plate of cake. The ghost hadn't eaten this well in years, if not in her entire life. She swore to herself that after this war they are fighting, she would make sure she had a mansion like this one. Still, the decorations and colours would differ, but the rest, well, let's just say it will suit her. Especially the room service.

" Thank you my dear! What about you mr. Schnitt?" asked the polite crime lord.

" Well, I admit that you have good taste in many things, mr. Stewart!" said the former morian, while lighting one of his cuban cigars.

" So I have! But now we should discuss about your coming on this planet, namely in my city! I heard you were looking for the agent Graven Hill, might I know why all this trouble?"

"Silver tongued bastard", thought Andronic to himself, but then continued on a diplomatic tone: " As I have said, we are an independent group that wants to hit the Dominion pretty badly. Emperor Mengsk and I have some scores to settle between us, and so do my men!"

" Hmmm! It would seem that the big, wise, badass and bastard Dominion Emperor has gotten his hands fool of rebels, mr Andronic! You aren't the only one who is after him."

" Figures. With all his bragging about peace, justice and prosperity, it doesn't surprise me to find out that people want this head! Yet who might get in his way, besides me of course!" the Admiral said, trying to pry information.

" Careful father! I cannot read his thoughts, so it means that something isn't right here!" Esmeralda warned him via mind link.

" Raynor's Raiders for starters! Then there is the Umojan Protectorate, which never was Mengsk's pawn to begin with. Plus all the splinter groups that do the small raids on the more accesible facilities. But that doesn't explain your coming here. Why is Hill so important to you?

" He has access to most merc battle groups, regardless of origin and price. That can prove very useful for some of our missions!" answered Schnitt, always present and up to the challenge.

Ethan Stewart backed down a little, thinking of some strategy to find out their true plans and exploit them somehow to his favour. Perhaps offering them a contract, one that implied hitting a certain, hated, dominion munitions facility on a planet close to Deadman's Rock. Yes, a test to prove if these noobs will be worth his time, in the future.

" I am willing to support you in your future actions! he said, surprising all three of them. But no one can strust a stranger if he doesn't prove himself, right? he asked giving them a perfectly reasonable expression, while he drew up a holocron map and threw it on the table.

" What do you mean by that?" asked Andronic with a hint of worry in his eyes.

" Let me explain. This, he said, then pressed a button and pointed to a blue point on the green map, is Deadman's Rock. This- he pointed at another planet- is a dominion world called New Sydney, just 1 day's normal flight distance away from here. There are multiple munitions factories there, which could endanger my operations in and around this lawless section of the K. Sector. I will pay you 100000 credits and give two groups of mercs for you to command, free of charge of course!"

" Do you even have details on the target you just gave us? Is it reliable?"

" As reliable as a four week old scan sweep can be, mr Andronic. I only ask of you to " liberate" what you can from the place and blow up the rest. I don't mind if you kill or let anybody alive there, as long as you get the job done. So...?"

The Admiral pondered for a few minutes. He intended to find Hill and contract him for the job, yet he had limited funds for this endeavor. Besides, trusting a suspicious crime lord, renowned for his unpredictability didn't sit up well with him either. On the other hand, he needed the credits and the perspective of hitting a dominion target was tempting. What's more, he would have more time to rethink his strategy.

" Make it 110000 credits and we are in!" Andronic said, surprising all of them , even Stewart to some degree.

" Splendid! My valet will give you all the information we have on a data disk, as well as an advance payment of 20000 credits. I warn you though, if you try to cross me, to mishandle this agreement we have just made, I will not be pleased. And when I am not pleased, heads are going to roll on the floor... far from their bodies!" he said with a killer's tone.

" Do we understand each other, gentlemen and miss Esmeralda?"

The Admiral shook his hand again, followed by the other two and then they signed the contract on Stewart's notepad. Of course, Andronic made sure that there were no other clauses to the contract, no hidden ties or anything else.

For the rest of the day, they loaded up the fuel and ammo that Stewart provided them with. Afterwards, the two seasoned battlecruisers took to the skies, departing Deadman's Rock to meet their ten counterparts.

Captains Trevor and Henri felt relieved to see that their commanding officers have made it out alive. However, they were not so eager to comply to their end of the bargain. Allying with a crime lord, even if the dominion was their common enemy, did not seem to be a wise choice to them.

Andronic silenced them all. He told them that he had his own reasons for accepting this assignment. On top of that, there were the aforementioned advantages. So, for now at least, they would work for Stewart.

" I want all of you to make the warp jump close to the planet's atmosphere!"

" Sir that is pure madness!" interrupted a most worried Josef. " I won't throw away our lives for a two bit crime lord that you met a few hours ago!"

Andronic wasn't worried at all. In fact, he understood his concern, as this maneuver was in itself suicidal, if the pilot was a beginner, that is. Josef, Trevor, Schnitt and the others however, weren't some noob pilots, fresh from the navy academy. Oh no, they were the best his fleet had to offer and the ships were the best he could think of for this stunt.

" I have faith in your abilities, my captains!" he simply said, beckoning them to proceed with the operation as planned.

 _12 hours later, after a tiresome road through asteroids and dominion outposts._

" Ok, time to change the shift!" said Josef's underling. " Call the main battle crew. It won't be long before we make the warp jump."

Esmeralda and Josef were awaken by the endless knocks on their dorm's doors. They certainly enjoyed the 6 hours pause that they were given. The room was filled with her alluring yellow roses perfume and the dim, purple lights, that the deputee officer just turned on illuminated their not so secret lover's nest. Thanks to Schnitt's indiscretions- which, obviously, originated in his jealousy- almost half the ship knew about their relationship. It didn't take long for ironic comments from some of the crew members, while others simply congratulated Josef on finally finding a girl for himself. The pair tried not to feed the trolls by giving in and shut them up. Instead, they walked around as they never existed, so, in time, the jokes subsided, becoming only whispers.

Right now, in her body's warm embrace, Josef could feel the heaven that he ever dreamed of. If it wasn't for this stupid mission and the insistent crew member at the door, he would have relished in it more. But, as the Admiral put it a few months ago, loyalty was a value of utmost importance. And he agreed with that statement.

" Come on my dear, we have to get up!" he said with a caring tone.

Esmeralda stretched like a cat in its sleep. She opened her eyes lazily and answered with a sleepy voice: " Five more minutes please!"

" You can spend those five minutes with me in the shower, you know!" Josef added with a mischievous tone, to which she answered with a deep kiss.

" That sound nice... and naughtyyyy! she purred and got up, going to their bathroom.

Meanwhile, Admiral Marcu Andronic was sitting at his desk over a large, classic, paper map, making all sorts of strategies. A plans, B plans, C plans and so on. With the Dominion and a munitions deposit in the ecuation, you had to be cery careful as to not blow the whole thing right up in the first minutes of the assault. He would rely on his daughter's heightened ghost skills to pass through the security systems and disable the defence grids. She would be provided with all the backup she needed. Up next, his battlecruisers will encircle their dominion counterparts and knock them out with the Yamato cannons and the new, more powerful laser batteries. Amidst the chaos, the wraiths and the dropships will make sure that Esmeralda and her ghost regiment, "Penumbra", will receive adequate ground and air support in their struggle towards the main facilites and deposits.

Once all is said and done, they would leave this time bomb of a planet and make a few random warp jumps to lose their potential followers. Only then will they return to Deadman's Rock to claim their rightful prize and find out what Stewart had in store for them.

He did not realize how much time had passed until he heard someone knocking at the door.

" Come in!" he said, while he scanned the plans with his portable holo-computer.

The deck officer entered his room, bowing respectfully and gave his short announcement. After he left, Andronic arranged himself and went to the decl. There, he found Josef and Esmeralda waiting for orders.

He then opened the comm channel to all his captains and said:

" The day of judgement, of revenge, has come! Let our enemies feel our wrath! he shouted.

O să-i băgăm în pizda mamii lor (we shall insert them back into their mother's cunt)!"

" We don't know what you just said but hell yea!" shouted Schnitt, and the others followed.


	6. 6: First Blood

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own Starcraft, nor do I make a profit from any activity relating with the franchise.

 **Author's note:** _ **First, I would like to thank all my readers for viewing my fanfiction! It is always great to see that people appreciate your work! :)) If you would be so kind as to give your opinion about this story, I would appreciate it. If it got you interested, you can always follow it! ;)**_

 _ **Still, I liked both the game and the story very much. Thus I felt I should develop part of it in a new way. The UED fascinated me and the perspective of a terran remnant group, light years away from Earth, with no chance of going back and having to confront an entire sector seemed to be a good starting point for a story involving both the original characters and some new, unique ones. I will try to stick to the original story as best as I can. However, remember that this is a fanficiton and not everything must go according to the letter.**_

 **Chapter 6:** _ **First blood**_

 _New Sydney, 10:11 Planet time_

General Eugene Tup was inspecting the main base's garrison. He was one of the new, very promising officers that graduated from the Naval Academy five months ago. Very skilled pilot and an even more capable commander. This alone was a good reason to protest against being assigned to a munitions factory far away in the reaches of space. Under normal circumstances, this job would have been relaxing, but guarding a munitions factory was a risk in itself. There have been quite a few accidents before and entire facilities exploded, killing everyone in and around them. Since Emperor Mengsk wanted to be prepared for a future war against his oponents, he was artificially increasing production. That meant speed and quality were prefered over safety. If he was to be in charge, he would have had a different approach. Still, he was an officer, a soldier nonetheless, and he followed his orders to the letter. He had a reputation for it.

The recruits were looking pretty good, even though most were resocs, former inmates that were subjected to the neural resocialization process, they appeared to be in good shape. He ran the reuglar drills with them and was surprised to find that they were indeed used to battle conditions. On a 1-10 scale, they always scored between 6 and 7, which was considered good.

Up on his 400 meter platform, the general glared at the 10 barracks and 20 factories located in the base. New tanks, goliaths, vultures, even the new helions vehicles came out on a regular basis. It meant that everything was running smoothly. Until...

A loud boom attracted his attention. One of the helions exploded, taking a goliath walker with him. The combined destructive capacity of their armament killed the workers and marines around them.

" Damn! And here I was, thinking everything would go on without accidents!" he said to himself and then motioned all availible personel to go out there and put out the fires, then inspect the vehicles again. He would not risk one of the vehicles running into one of the ammo deposits and blow everything up.

 _Meanwhile..._

Esmeralda had a killer's smile on her lips. The bulkheads bought it. Now they were distracted by the explosions and fires all around them. Her ghost training kicked in, as she started hacking into the peripherical network of the factories. Slowly but surely, she gathered the information she needed to break into the main network. It took her a while, but she managed to do it without being detected. Her 11th ghost regiment, "Penumbra", was spread out around her, quietly scouting the facilites, mapping every weapon's cache and piling the info on their wrist computers

She sometimes loved challenges like this, especially since the targets were her former torturers. Fine, they weren't the same as the scientists that subjected her to the test, but the fact that theses people belonged to the Dominion made her turn a blind eye to the value of their lives. The sooner they were done with this mission, the sooner she and Josef will be reunited.

Thinking of him, she thought he might worry about her well being. Always so caring, always so careful about everything he had ever done. That was Josef Harding, deputee officer of the UED remnant forces- turned Argonauts, captain of the Decebalus, and her lover. How fitting!

Another click and she was in. Finally, she could see what secrets this base was hiding. After reading through countless inventory lists, she suddenly stopped, watching in horror as that particular thing appeared before her eyes.

" No, no no! Not this!" she thought to herself. " These fools, they don't know that they are playing with fire! DAMN" she said looking at the protoss human-zealot hybrid. " I thought they terminated project Gestalt some time ago she said, remembering the early tests that she witnessed during her "stay" at the Dominion Ghost Academy. Dr. Stanley Burgess, one of the doctors that was assigned to studying her and her, unusually high for a child, Psi Index of 7. From what she and Schnitt found out while hacking the Dominion network, she could tell that at least one such half human, half protoss hybrid, with access to both race's weaponry, was created. Terribly efficient, but highly unstable, to the point that it required state of the art neural inhibitors in order to keep it loyal to its creators. A protoss task force, led by a high templar named Muadun, was defeated by Gestalt Zero alone. At the end of the day, however, the monster turned on its creators after the inhibitors failed, killing them in the process and thrashing the laboratories.

Esmeralda saw the images of the zealot psi blades, the golden armors, the severed nerve cords carefully conserved in special tanks; everything she feared was true. Mengsk was toying with protoss technology and was attempting to replicate the failed project, most likely using this facility as a cover up.

" Damn, and here I was thinking this would be a walk in the park!" she muttered, but then another thought hit her like a siege tank. " That Ethan Stewart wants this equipment for himself, he doesn't really care about anything else. That's why he pressed the words _" Salvage what you can!"_. That damned snake!"

This wasn't only a destructive raid, no, rather a smash&grab type. It was meant to bring him the technology that could give the crime lord the edge in his fight to dominate the entire planet of Deadman's Rock. She had to inform the Admiral right now.

Seeing as her comm links could be either jammed or listened to, not even sure if the crime lord bugged their ships, she decided to contact him the only other possible way: mind link. Luckily, no one could eavesdrop on that.

After she ordered her ghosts to rig the entire deposits- and their precious cargo-, she asked four of them to guard her, while she spoke with the Admiral.

" _Father, it's me!"_

" _Hello , my dear! Mind telling me why do you not wish to speak on the transmitter?" he asked._

" _Not safe enough. I wanted to tell you that I didn't trust that Ethan Stewart guy one bit!"_

" _Tell me something I don't know! We will be careful, but this mission is also beneficial on our part. Just do your job, okay?"_

" _But father... Mengsk wants to revive the Gestalt Project here. I have found out that most of the stuff he needs is already here. Only thing missing are the samples or the finite product!"_

" _Then we will destroy everything. However, if you come across any Terran weapon upgrads, do map them and pick them up. We will take care of the rest!" he ordered._

" _Understood!"_ said the lieutenant and then closed the mind link.

She poked around for another two hours, carefully taking note of any modern weaponry unknown to her. After a thorough search, her ghosts managed to identify a few C-20 canister rifles models A,B and some new C models, specially designed for high powered ghosts, such as herself. Stealing one for herself, she performed a system check on it. 35 round magazine, all purpose grenade launcher with a 1000 meters range, armor piercing bullets, 4000 meters sniping range, semi-automatic, highly customisable. Oh, and it had an incorporated pistol, for emergency use. Nice indeed!

" Well, it's time for the fireworks!" she contacted Josef and Andronic via comm link.

" Roger! Retreat to the the city's margin. Stay out of trouble, love!" said a concerned Josef.

" Right!" she answered, cutting off the transmission.

 _New Sydney, 13:51 planet time._

General Eugene Tup was filing a complaint about the dangers of getting production into override, when one of the colonels under his command bursted in the room, all sweaty and panicked.

" Sir! he said panting. Our deposits have been blown apart! Some pirate battlecruisers are descending, wiping out our air defence!" he almost shouted

" Activate the emergency AA turrets and don't forget about those detectors. We wouldn't want any wraith or ghost to slip by and do some more damage, understood?"

" Yes, sir!"

" Good! Then I already sent a distress call to emperor Mengsk himself. Reinforcements are inbound. We need only hold out and wait for them to teach these scums a lesson in manners!"

The general took to preparing his forces accordingly. Goliaths, hellions, marines, firebats, marauders, ghosts, all that could be spared was deployed in multiple defensive formations, scattered around the base. Not knowing where the enemy will land was problematic indeed.

 _The Decebalus's deck._

" I want us, Schnitt and the Scorpio cruisers to descend to the surface of this wretched world, while the rest will be on stand by for future have the location of their most explosive weapon's caches, so lets make bring the pain on the idiots!" ordered Marcu Andronic.

His soldiers were preparing for battle insertion. They would liberate as much of the equipment indicated by Esmeralda as possible. Afterwards, the would proceed to killing all dominion personel in that place, so as to make sure that no one knew who was responsable for the mess that was about to unleash.

The laser batteries made short work of most of the fliers. The enemy vikings had no chance against the rapid fire of his 4 battlecruisers laser batteries. The advanced targeting systems of the Scorpio class cruisers, although older and impossible to replace or replicate, could direct fire two times as fast as a Minotaur class counterpart. However, after half an hour of fighting, they were forced to send their flyers into the fight, as the enemy wraiths managed to break through and do some not so negligable damage to the Moonreaver.

 _New Sydney, dominion HQ._

" Can someone tell me what the heck is going on?" the general asked. " These guys are too good to be ordinary pirates. They have tip-top military coordination, fairly modern cruisers and flyers and they also know our weaknesses!?"

" We frankly do not know! the colonels answered, excusing themselves. " We had better evacuate before the situation gets dangerous for us!" they suggested.

" I don't think I heard it right! I had all conversations recorded and stored on a secret server. My superiors, your superiors, would gladly court-martial you for your treason. So do the nice thing and go, dedicate yourselves to protecting the Dominion!"

" And what will you do...sir?" asked a defiant colonel.

" I will board my custom viking and unleash the inferno upon the intruders, care to join me?"

Seeing no volunteers, he motioned them to their posts, while he left for the hangars. His most prized posession, a viking air ship that was better than four vikings combined. With four gatling guns, one anti-infantery machine gun, six rocket launchers, a higher ammunition storage capacity and reinforced armor. And it was painted red and green, so people would know who was piloting the dreaded machine.

Agilely jumping into its seat, the general turned it into flight mode. He then took command of forty other vikings, ordering them to form a diamond shaped formation, with him in the middle. It was the best way to approach the enemy, as he himself didn't have to worry about tac fighters.

Fires, lasers, bullets were flying all around them, as they dodged the enemy fire. Some of his men, however, were not as lucky or skilled and they started falling from the sky like meteorites. He would make sure that their sacriface wouldn't be in vain.

" Closer, closer! he muttered as he neared the Decebalus and took off the safety of his interceptor rockets.

 _Aboard the Decebalus, 14:47 ship time_

Admiral Marcu Andronic was looking over the battlemap. He was grinning, being very proud of his troops. 90% of the drop pods that have been launched have reached their input destination and their "cargo" was already rampaging through the enemy base. He had to give Esmeralda and her crew most of the credit, as the intel they gathered has proven and still proves to be invaluable. On the other hand, seeing as the air battle was only slowly turning into his favour, it looked like they would need to move the reserve cruisers into position.

" Incoming rocket attack! Brace yourselves! shouted Josef and then ducked for cover. The others didn't bother to ask questions and followed his example.

The Decebalus was given a thorough shake, similar in intensity to a planetary earthquake, one would say. They were knocked out for a good five minutes, until Andronic rose up and asked for a damage report.

" Well, the brave fools managed to breach our formation and pour no less than 200 rockets into our underbelly! one of the deck officers said, reading the data that the A.I. offered. " 135 casualties, none of them dead, yet some have been gravely wounded. No permanent hull breach, thanks to the shields!" she added.

" Thank you miss! Now, I would like us to turn pay them back accordingly! Release the valkyries! he ordered, rather amused. He could only imagine what a poker face would that pesky air commander make, when he will meet his new and improved valkyries. Dominion technology could not hope to match what they had back on Earth, but, combined with what they had with them, the result would be more than acceptable, in his opinion.

 _New Sydney surface, main factory sector, at the same time._

Esmeralda sniped down another marauder, saving one of her goliath pilots. Her killing spree amounted to an amazing 117, most of whom were heavy units. Her ghost regiment wasn't doing bad either. They had managed to acquire two Hercules transports, then filled them with all the loot they've managed to gather, which, by the way, was impressive, and then sent them to the Lancaster to be secured.

" Lieutenant, to your right!" shouted one of her marines, but it was too late. An armor piercing bullet went right through her right shoulder, blowing her rifle right off. She was lucky that the arm was still attached to her.

" Get a medic quickly!" spoke one of her ghosts via comm link.

Staggering forward, still in shock and in pain, the green haired elite ghost was gazing upon the wave of goliaths, siege tanks and marauders that was closing in on them like a tidal wave. They could not withstand an attack of that magnitude with what they had at their disposal.

" I will issue an order to fall back!" one of her ghost aids said.

" You... will... belay that order...agent!" she answered angrily.

" But miss, you and many others aren't in a condition to figh...!" he pleaded, but was cut short.

" I said hold your... ground! I won't repeat myself!" she barked, then pushed the ghost aside.

She neared the approaching menace, not at all caring about the bullets that were being slowly directed her way. A black rain of death shall pour on those who had the nerve to attack her like that.

" I shall, he-heh-he! I shall end your lives!" she threatened them psionically. Seeing as they stopped and looked confused around themselves, she took the chance and channeled all her energy in one big, decisive attack.

A psionic storm, the likes of what he had not seen since the Brood Wars, caught Andronic's eye. He pressed a few buttons on the holo-map and asked one of the medics to make camera contact with the battle. Not too soon after that, his eyes went wide as he realized that the source of the storm was none other than Esmeralda herself. From what he could hear and see, he put the pieces together. The raging lightnings that were decimating the enemy forces were the result of her fear and desperation. Not wanting to retreat has resulted in this. Useful as it may be, if she couldn't get back in control, let's just say that she wouldn't be the only problem on their hands today.

" Bă Ioji!( Hey, Josef)" called Andronic using his nickname.

" Sir, you know I hate it when you call me that! What can I do for you?" he answered angrily.

" Uşurel, boule! (easy, you stupid bull) the Admiral continued undeterred. " My daughter, your girlfriend, is slaughtering no less than 200 enemy heavy vehicles and their drivers.

" Isn't that good news for us?" he asked, carefully analyzing the ship's performance and directing the counterattacks; he simply didn't have the time or disposition to handle the Admiral's moment of bullshitting.

" If she manages to calm down, it is. If not, however, we, and by that I mean you, must stop her somehow, before she accidently commits friendly fire!"

Now that was something the deputee officer did not expect. Marcu Andronic was straightforward with him, which could be considered both a blessing and a curse, depending on the situation itself. Right now, he had to get on the radio and try to calm his lovebird until it wasn't too late.

Reluctantly, he walked towards the holo-table and tweaked four buttons. He then managed to get her signal and connect with her ear piece. What he was hearing only brought more worries on his part.

 _New Sydney skies, 15:12 planet time._

General Eugene Tup just shot down two enemy wraiths and was congratulated by his 23 remaining viking wingmen. Their squadron managed to cripple the enemy's air support for a while now. He could only hope that his subordinates had begun to take out the pirates in the factories and on the strrets. That much advanced equipment just lay there, ripe for the picking. It was worrisome, but he could do nothing more than fight what lay ahead of him. Especially since that ship, whose name wasn't registered in any of the Dominion data bases, was not only resistant, but also deadly. The gunners were skilled and have fired alternatively, either supporting their ground assault teams or firing at his vikings.

" You've got to be fu**ing kidding me!" he swore through his helmet. " Valkiries! Quickly, break formation and attack them from the sides. Their H.A.L.O rockets have tracking systems!"

He didn't think anyone was willing to bring these UED machines into an air battle again. Luckily for him, he was an ace student and a bit of a nerd, meaning that he knew about any military spacecraft that had ever been employed in combat in the Koprulu Sector.

" Don't keep me vaiting!" the amused valkyrie leader raised him on the Dominion frequency.

Waves upon waves of rockets rained down on his viking squad. Kind of ironic, if one would think that two similarly named crafts were fighting each other to the death. The blue menace, as the HALO rockets were called, did not do much damage on their own, meaning that one valkyrie was pretty much useless. However, when more than 30 of them customised types were heading your way, weapons blazing, well, let's just say you wanna get the hell out of there.

" Losing engine power!"

" Weapons failure. Noooo..."

" Cockpit breached. I'm landing it!"

" No-no-no-no-noooo!"

Those were only a few of the voices that shouted through the comm link channels. He could not bear to listen to them all, not for a second longer. But he would be damnned if he will give up that easy. Oh no, this was too good of a challenge to pass by.

He steered his machine to the right, avoiding two shots. He then plunged into the upper atmosphere, making good use of his superior clmibing speed to escape the rockets. Not too long after that, he was joined by his seven remaining squad members in a try to bring the fight to the enemy cruiser once again. Let them feel the wrath of the Dominion!

 _New Sydney surface, main factory grounds, 15:15._

Esmeralda was not stoping, that's for sure. 50 other hellions entered the storm at high speeds, trying to get past it, only for their engines to fail them and their botdies to be shredded by the awful might of the psi lightnings.

The girl was madly muttering all sorts of words, mostly curses, swearings and the like. Her eyes were literally shining with newfound, albeit somewhat, poisonous power. One part of her was desperately trying to stop all this, but that inner voice was weaker than the need to survive. That was until an all too familiar voice repeatedly called her name, louder and louder...

" Esmeralda, Esmeralda, wake up for God's sake! shouted Josef through her ear piece, nearly deafening her.

She felt something was awfully wrong in his tone.

" My love, you need to stop right now! If not, you might put the others, icnluding me, in danger! You don't want that, do you?" he was pushing all necessary buttons if he had to.

Her inner voice grew stronger, finally overpowering her instincts. She gained full control over her mind and body. Not a second later, the psionic storm dissipated, revealing a smoking pile of burning vehicles and corpses. The smell was excruciating and she nearly threw up.

All availible medical personel came to her side as quickly as possible. She was administered two shots of adrenaline and five more stimulant packs so as to heal her wounds. Her arm, on the other hand, needed to receive a very careful surgery that could not be performed on the battlefield. Evacuation was mandatory in her situation.

" But I can still fight...!" she tried to oppose her medics, but was given a mild tranquilizant instead.

" Seeing as you are in our care, this decision is not yours to make! You will be transported to the Lancaster as of now!" one of them said, pointing to a drop ship not far away.

Back on the Decebalus, Marcu Andronic and his so called war council have gathered on the comm channel to decide their next move.

" We should pull back all forces!" proposed Trevor. " We've got more than enough equipment and we also "liberated" some 70000 credits from a nearby deposit. You need only give the order!" he added with an official tone.

" What about the Dominion base then? We haven't planted all the explosives!" protested captain Leonard. His Scorpio class battlecruiser has taken a some serious beating; nothing compared to the Decebalus though.

" No, but out ace in the hole just planted a planetary transmitter in the middle of their main base. Seeing as it is connected to the other ones by tunnels filled with all sorts of ammunition and equipment, you can guess what will happen should a nuke find its way to the surface!" he said smirking.

 _1 hour later, after the Argonauts simulated a hasty retreat to their cruisers._

" General Tup, they have been beaten back! It seems they do not have the manpower to conquer us!" one of the colonels raised him on the comm link.

Eugene Tup was using the viking's robot mode to hunt down stragglers and secure the deposits. Only one other viking was alive and kicking besides him. That made him wonder what the hell could have spooked these pirates off.

" Sir, it might be the reinforcements from Korhal! suggested the captain in charge with the intelligence corp. " They have eavesdropped on our conversation with the HQ and so they must have found out! Guess this here's place is not worth dying for! he added much to the annoyance of the general.

" I would let that piece of treachery slip by, captain! That once, and never again! You dishonour the sacrifice of your fellow soldiers! You had better be careful from now on!"

" Yes sir!"

" Good! I want you to keep me posted on any other surviving ground forces. We need to kill them all first, then take to the skies. In the meantime, see if you can somehow activate the emergency AA turrets and lasers. We have got to destroy at least one of their cruisers!"

 _Aboard the Decebalus._

The Admiral was saving one of these nukes for a special occasion. The Lancaster could not fire its nuke because all space in the armory and supply depots was occupied by the loot they had acquired. That meant that only his capital ship was able to launch one. As to what will await the denizens of the treacherous planet... well, they didn't name the nukes Nagasaki-Planetary-class for nothing! With no remorse whatsoever, he removed all safeties and pressed the button with a skull and a green cloud on it.

10 minutes later, an unimaginable explosion turned half the planet to dust and the other to rust. Casualties amounted in the hundreds of thousands, but most of those that were on the planet at that time were resocs, as Esmeralda found out after she hacked their network. Resocs and slaves, for notice. He did them a favour, in a way at least.

" Alright my friends! Let us get out of here before anybody notices that we obliterated Mengsk's production lines in this system!" he ordered and set the coordinates for Deadman's Rock.

" _Pizdocul ăla de Ethan Stewart habar n-are cu cine se pune!"( that cunt of a man, Ethan Stewart, doesn't know who he's dealing with!),_ he thought to himself, smiling confidently as he watched his fleet disengage and jump into hyperspace.


	7. 7: The headstrong prevail

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own Starcraft, nor do I make a profit from any activity relating with the franchise.

 **Author's note:** _ **First, I would like to thank all my readers for viewing my fanfiction! It is always great to see that people appreciate your work! :)) If you would be so kind as to give your opinion about this story, I would appreciate it. If it got you interested, you can always follow it! ;)**_

 _ **Still, I liked both the game and the story very much. Thus I felt I should develop part of it in a new way. The UED fascinated me and the perspective of a terran remnant group, light years away from Earth, with no chance of going back and having to confront an entire sector seemed to be a good starting point for a story involving both the original characters and some new, unique ones. I will try to stick to the original story as best as I can. However, remember that this is a fanficiton and not everything must go according to the letter.**_

 **Chapter 7:** _ **The headstrong prevail**_

 _The Decebalus, 1 day after the battle of New Sydney._

Tired was a word too inapropiate to describe how they were feeling. After a tiresome, significantly costly fight, the Argonaut task advance force led by Admiral Marcu Andronic had to make multiple warp jumps so as to lose their pursuers. By some unknown means, the Dominion managed to be tipped off about some pirate attack by the planet's defenders and they responded in force. The adjutant counted over 12 dominion minotaur class battlecruisers closing in on their warp destination. Therefore, he and Josef decided to deviate the ships from the given course and hope that they wouldn't land in some star.

He didn't believe in luck before, but he did right after coming out of hyperspace. He was on the verge of an asteroid field, property of Deadman's Rock's crime lords, as the map pointed out. However, they were to find out that other merc leaders operated in the area, besides Ethan Stewart. If Andronic was to guess, than he would bet that the men and women clad in pink armor belonged to a notorious girl, senteanced to death in about 12 star systems: Mira Han.

A group of wraiths and vikings closed in on them, weapons not activated.

" What could the possibly want?" asked Josef, wandering about their intentions.

" Don't know, but I want us to be ready for it, you understand?" came Andronic's reply.

 _Decebalus med bay at the same time._

Esmeralda woke up with an incredible pain in her right arm. It was as if somebody tore it off her body and then tried to stick it back with duct tape; sort of. Glancing down on her body, she found out that, instead of her usual Hekate-ghost suit, she was wearing a normal, white T-shirt, black, casual pants and same coloured shoes. Also, on the table next to her there was a prvate connection ear piece; undoubtedly left there by someone very special.

She lifted herself with some effort. Laying there for what seemed like days, although the calendar next to her said otherwise, the ghost lieutenant took the ear piece and put it into place. In less than a minute, a connection was established between her and her beloved one.

" Good morning dear!" he said joyfully. "How was your sleep, my princess?"

" Painful, to say the least! It's never a pleasure to be on the surgery table. Especially since it brings back the worst of your nightmares!" she added and a long period of silence followed.

" Then it pleases me that it is over!" Josef pressed on, trying to get her into a better mood.

" I have to congratulate you on your efforts, Esmeralda! Thanks to you, we stopped Mengsk's little project and managed to blow up an entire weapons planet! You are the greatest, girl!" he cheered her up and she couldn't help herself but smile.

He then filled her in about what had happened while she was out cold. A tiresome road through hyperspace lanes, jumping from x to z, from a to e, random locations after random locations, until they finally lost their dominion pursuers and arrived somewhere near Deadman's Rock, in an asteroid field.

" Wait! What's that sound?" she interrupted him, as an alarm went off.

" Mira Han's goons are parlaying with us, it would seem. Even so, I want everyone to be on edge. We don't know what her intentions are but what we do know is that she has some kind of feud with our honourable employer, mr. Ethan Stewart!"

" I'll be ready in a..."

" You will remain in bed for at least 2 more hours!" he cut her short. " You almost lost your arm back there and I don't want you to be hurt... please!" he pleaded.

O, how she hated when he did that! It was something about his voice, something that managed to cool her fire heart. When he was using that tone, it was like she could not refuse him. Therefore, she agreed to go back to sleep. Perhaps Josef would make an appearence in her dream, instead of those dreadful Ghost Academy memories.

 _Decebalus deck, 10 minutes later._

Mira Han's flyers were closing in, all the while keeping their weapons deactivated and their all clear signals were on. It would seem that they wanted to have a little chit chat with the Argonauts.

The holo-table started beeping and those around it, including the Admiral were on edge. It could be a trap and they weren't so keen on being sold to the Dominion or worse. If things got out of hand, they will riposte and take the enemy fighters out. Even thrash the mining operations in the asteroid belt while at it.

Wanting to end this confusing situation, Andronic pressed the button. A rather defiant wraith pilot greeted them, mask on though.

" Hello there, intruders! You are trespassing on Mira's grounds! Surrender!"

" Măta-i curvă! ( your mom's a bitch)"

" Is that a yes?" he asked, confused.

" Yes, she is!" laughed Josef. Finally, the translator was working and he was happy about it.

" Nevermind that, you scum! the pilot continued as his ship started beeping. " It seems my boss wants to speak with you right away! It is something you cannot simply refuse!" he added, smiling.

" As much as we would like that, you must know that we have the firepower to shatter your pinsy little squadron before you fire a rocket. We've dealt with much worse than your mistress, you lapdog!" Andronic answered, not at all impressed by the threats.

The pilot wanted to damn him, but his screen beeped again and someone started speaking with him via ear piece.

" No, he didn't! But... Yes, I know we had to, miss, but...! Damnit! Alright, I'll patch you through right away!" he said with a puppy's tone. Whatever spooked him would certainly talk to them next.

" Sir, we have an incoming transmission from Deadman's Port, heavily encrypted! Josef stated.

" Decode it and move it through a secure terminal. Someone may be eavesdropping!" ordered Andronic.

After 10 minutes of waiting, the transmission was finally established. The holo-table was then connected to the server and Josef tweaked two buttons. An all too famous mercenary woman, short of height, with pink hair, a green coloured left eye and a red coloured ocular implant for a right eye, was smiling at Andronic like a wolf preying on some helpless animal. On the contrary, he wasn't helpless at all. Perhaps no one managed to best his achievements so far. But that did not seem to be of interest to the not so friendly woman.

" Hello there, mister Andronic! It's so nice to see someone with some balls around here for a change!" she began, talking rather playfully.

" Likewise! he chuckled.

" Very funny! Now, let us get down to business! I have heard many things about you recently. I wish to speak with you, in person.

" I have heard quite a few things about you as well, miss Mira Han-Horner!" the Admiral counterattacked, getting the merc leader to make a poker face.

" You shrewed bastard!" she muttered. " I like your style. And the fact remains that you managed to blow up New Sydney to smitherins! Rather genocidal, don't you agree?" she added.

" How the heck do you know about that?"

Mira Han put a hand to her mouth and tried to abstain herself from laughing too hard. Theatrics, obviously, but effective nonetheless. " A girl never reveals her secrets!"

" No, but another girl can find them by herself!"

All of them froze as Esmeralda entered the room, dressed in her Hekate-ghost and dragging one of her ghosts by the collar. He seemed out for good. His armor had a few bullet holes and dry blood was all too visible for the naked eye; even for Mira's. She then threw the body in front of the holo-table, grinning wickedly; a maniac's smile.

" This disreputable fellow has killed one of my men and took his suit. He then snuck onboard our ship and acted as a mole. I thought I felt something while I was on the planet!"

Andronic, Josef and the others were left speechless. No one could have ever noticed that kind of infiltration, let alone root it out. It was a testimony to Esmeralda's high psi index and incredible skill.

Mira Han was at a loss of words herself. The agent she sent was the best she had at her disposal and he has proven his worth in those 6 years that he served under her command. It was only 2 hours ago that he made his last report, informing her about incoming "guests". The news of New Sydney's destruction- and any related details- reached ears and stayed there. There were very few people that she trusted enough to keep a secret like this.

" Not going to say anything, you pathetic excuse for an imp?" the female ghost asked, mockingly.

" My, my, what a big mouth we have there!" Mira answered with a laugh, still impressed though. " You got me very interested, miss Esmeralda! You are a former dominion top ghost, similar to this Nova agent that has been bugging the rebels recently.

" Who is that?"

" Nova? Well, she graduated three months ago and has been sent to various places, killing people and blowing up Mengsk's enemies, but of course! I'm surprised you didn't hear about her before. As opposed to you, however, she sports an incredible level 10 Psi Index. If my info is correct, yours is either 7 or 8, no more or less than that! Just don't go thinking you are the best, my dear!" Now the ball was in Esmeralda's court.

" So, what is it that you want to talk about?" asked Andronic, breaking that duel of words.

" Since I know about your deal with Stewart, I would want to meet you before I annihilate you, mr Andronic! In less than a few days, you'll be quite the star around here! Nevertheless, Stewart will take credit for being your employer; it is innevitable!"

" Mercenary scum, we shouldn't have allied ourselves with them! What were you thinking, Admiral?" interrupted an increasingly displeased Josef Harding. It would seem that wasting a Nagasaki-Planetary-Nuke on something that wasn't there target to begin with annoyed him. On top of that, they risked being discovered if just one of their destroyed space ships had their database intact. He took the precaution to delete the location of their bases, namely the Solaris System, yet there was other sensible information stored in there. The could be walking on thin ice and he didn't know why Marcu was behaving like this. Deadman's Rock, what was he thinking? Or, better yet, what had Black Knife been telling him while they were alone on the deck that day?

" How cute! You resemble my dear Matthew so much! You could even be long lost brothers! I bet you on 100 credits that he would like to meet you!"

" As if! Last time I met the Hyperion, I fired a Yamato blast into their hull. That was pretty ahead of myself, but it was worth it!" Josef mischievously added. " Maybe that's when Matt Horner got those ugly scars he never wanted to show!"

" That's not true! I've seen him and...!" she muttered but was interrupted when those onboard the Decebalus's deck bursted into laughing. She, on the othe hand, has been blushing for a while.

" Ah, dragostea asta!" Andronic said, catching Mira's attention.

" Hey, I can understand you! What the hell?" she asked him amazed.

" It goes on to point the fact that your folks came from some country neighboring mine, probably Bulgaria if I recall well! I could tell you more about Earth some other time, if you wish! Now, however, I have an appointment with mr Stewart and it would be best to meet afterwards! Catch my drift?"

" Wow, mr Andronic! We could make a merc leader out of you in no time!" she praised, playfully of course; it was her in nature.

" Not really!" he told her off. " We can meet tomorrow in Deadman's Port, if you agree!"

She agreed, and so did the others. That being said, the interceptors retreated and the Argonaut task force disengaged from the asteroid field, heading for Deadman's Rock's surface. Again, an incredible effort and display of skill was required so as to keep the three battlecruisers unscathed on their way through the "defence field". When they touched down, Andronic was expecting the same money hungry patrols, yet they did not show up. Instead, it was no other than Ethan Stewart and his valet, Phillip Randall, plus some twenty other mercs that stood at 30 paces behind him. He looked surprised and proud. That meant news really got around fast on this lawless planet.

He was giving away a careless, happy, ever thankful aura, which, by the way, seemed kind of strange. Sure, if it was another man, they might have believed his good intentions. Given his identity, they would proceed carefully.

" Mr. Andronic, I knew you had it in you! You too, mr Schnitt and miss Esmeralda! I want to congratulate each and every one of you for a job well done. Phillip! he said,claping his hands twice. His valet obeyed the silent command and moved forward, extending them three suitcases filled to the brink with credits. It was more than 90000 credits, if he would believe the automated coutner that the cases had been inputted with.

" Thank you for your generosity, mr Stewart! However, we cannot take more than what we agreed for! Speaking of which, where can I find two merc groups for hire?"

" I agree and respect your opinion! The extra money goes for the employment of any 2 medium sized merc groups for about a year. That goes to show that I am much indebted to you for getting rid of that nuisance! Do you wish to take another job, my faithful associates?"

Andronic was staring him right in the eyes, confronting him, one would say. He did not break that stare as he politely postponed any future endeavors as they needed time to rest after what had happened. But, so as to not raise any suspicions, he sold Stewart one third of the loot they took with them from New Sydney. It wasn't just about the money, no. It was about keeping your back covered, especially on a planet full of cutthroats. One might look more polite or educated than the other, but it would always be a ruse in the end. Never trust him of his like, that would be the first lesson in surviving on this planet. And Marcu Andronic, the one captain of the UED to survive and lead his forces to a new beginning, was a fast student.

Ethan Paul Stewart shook their hands again and so did his valet. The two then retreated along with their escort and their newfound toys, barely concealing their joy. His intention was to get some intel on what Mengsk had been cooking up in that facility, but it seemed that the fierce resistance from the planet's defenders, coupled with the arrival of the Dominion responce fleet spooked the Argonauts. Nevertheless, they were able to aquire enough weapon upgrades and prototypes to update his forces. Luckily for him, the other merc groups were still in the posession of outdated equipment mostly. That meant that not now, but, rather later, when no one would be expecting, his underground factories would yield the instruments of doom. All Deadman's Rock shall bow to him, from every hungry child to the most ruthless of pirates. No one shall dare question his autorithy again, not even Mira or Orlan and their goons.

 _Sometime later, near Ethan's domain in Paradise._

The transmitter in his right pocket started beeping. Someone was hailing him on a private commlink. It had to be a very close person, one that he would trust enough to give her no less than three acces codes to his network. Now, who could it be?

" Nice to see you still breathing nuke gas, loverboy!" an all to familiar voice spoke.

" Rosemary my dear, gracious, ruthless killer, what can I do for you? For money of course!" he said respectfully, while he was walking up the stairs to his mansion.

" Only you could mix all those words in a sentance! Tell you what, I bet I can make your mother cry with just three words!" she added.

" Oh? That many? Fire away, gal!"

" I need you!" she whispered and he bursted into a laugh.

" Good one! Last time you said that, I had to get you out of Orlan's dirty hands! Nasty, although I did like the rewards you gave me! Now then, who's after you this time, you tirgress?"

" Honestly, I don't know what I would do without you! I am kidding, partially at least. But, to answer your question, its Valerian Mengsk and his archeological team!"

" Pfuuuuhahahahahahahaha! You are one great comedian, you know that? You should think about having some stand up shows Saturday evenings at the " Unending Hangover"!

" Spare me your mockery, you numbskull! Don't underestimate the prince! He killed some of the other mercs; nearly ended me too. One of the scientists took me aboard his spaceship and we tried to escape the " Gray Tiger" by warp jumping. He is unconcious still. Can you shelter us?"

Ethan paused for a minute. His gambler's instincts kicked in, trying to work out a way to make profit out of this apparently unpleasent situation. She was close to him. They had what you might call a "romantic relationship" going for some time now and he liked her very much. Even more when she was a damsel in distress. Profit would be made, one way or another.

" Certainly, Dahl, oh dear! Be careful on your way to the palace's domain. Land on the eastern side, right next to the private starport. Randy will help you and your friend! Anything else I should know of?"

" No! she said. See you there, love! she added with a honey-sweet tone, the one he liked so much, the one that would always charm this snake.

 _One day later._

Marcu Andronic decided to meet up with Mira Han at the location she gave him three hours prior. The data indicated a rather unusual spot in the planet's number one smuggler's, beggar's, killer's den: the waster recycling yards on the outskirts. Mountains over mountains of waste, piled up parts from more than a hundred thousand ships and vehicles were gathered, then sorted and sold. A lot of men and women were working painstakingly long shifts, often to the point of near exhaustion, for some measly credits, in some of the most miserable conditions. The lucky ones wore apropiate worksuits. The others were wearing normal clothes, not suited for handling these materials.

He spat on the rotten, metal ground swearing that we would never allow something like this to happen to his followers. He believed in human rights and liberties, as long as those in cause knew them as well and was ready to fight for them. Resocs, in their majority, and slaves such as these, often did not meet his expectations. Still, he always had some sort of remorse when it came to killing. Not that it would hinder his behaviour or cloud his judgement.

A few of the workers turned their attention to his small group. It was him, Josef, Schnitt, Esmeralda and ten of her ghosts, plus a group of loyal marines, medics and marauders. 50 people could be counted on the Argonauts's side.

The ground began to tremble and they all took cover. From the piles of junk around them, Mira's Marauders jumped and took position around them, cathcing them in some sort of trap. Vultures, old fashioned goliahts and Siege Braker tanks had their weapons directed on Andronic's party. The atmosphere was unpleasent, to say the least. Not only was the air nasty, smelly and possibly toxic, but it was also filled with the seeds of conflict, " riddled with the smell of future deaths", as he would say.

" Greetings, honoured hosts! Mind taking us to your boss, Mira Han?" he asked.

" Heh! Man's got the balls to talk to the boss, that's for sure! one of them answered.

" I think he didn't get a much needed beating, if you ask me! Let's give him one! another said.

" This here's boy didn't crack any skulls in a while. Glad you offered, _sir_! another added.

They were thrown in the distance with one thought, before any of them could react. Impressive, since no one seems to have done anything. Not by physical force, at least. Psionically, it was another thing. Esmeralda backed down, calming the fury in her red eyes as she took deep breaths. She thanked God for high-class air filters.

Loud, singular, applauses caught their attention in an instant. 10 meters to their right, and 20 meters above them, sat a purple haired impish woman that spelled danger through her presence alone. That is, if you knew her identity. Those few, unlucky or careless enough not to usually ended as food for the mutated rats on the streets or in the ditches.

" Oh, how I wanted to meet you! In fact, I am not the only one who wants to!" she said, jumping down from her vantage point. " Graven Hill and some of his associates have joined me in my meeting place. I came to pick you up!" she added, seriously.

" Fair enough! Lead the way, lady!" Andronic told her, while he motioned his people to follow.

Mira lead them through countless alleyways, houses, piles of junk and, why not?, underground tunnels. Railway tunnels, to be more precise. Those that were used for smuggling goods and people in and out of the city. Now it was used as a deposit and secret hideout by the more cunning bandits on this rock, herself included. Reaching a maintenence door of sorts, she knocked on the wall ten times, before a panel opened. She then pressed her palm, entered a 7-digit code and then she scanned her artificial eye. Only then, did the door finally budge.

Afterwards, the group went through a tight tunnel that took them to an immense, pit like space, all lavished with good taste, of course Hundreds of chairs were arranged in a concentric display, similar to some kind of stadium. To the sides were the secondary tunnels that ended in a few, more private chambers, designed for making deals of utmost importance and secrecy, no doubt about it.

Gathered in the tribunes were not only her most trusted mercs, but also some strangers, clad in blue armor and overalls. He did not recognize any of them, but Schnitt certainly did. He would hold back on that info just to see the Admiral's reaction live. It was too good to be missed.

Again, Mira Han took the lead. Their troops were told to stay put in the seats that were reserved for them. Andronic, Josef, Esmeralda and Schnitt kept their cool and kept close to her. Finally reaching the destination, the merc leader opened the pink coloured door to reveal a room filled with people the Admiral didn't expect in the least.

It was them: James Raynor, Matt Horner, Rory Swann, Graven Hill and... Black Knife, all gathered at a table, playing poker. They suddenly turned towards their new guests and Raynor lighted one of his cigars and took a deep smoke.

" Now, ain't this the nicest of sights!" he said pointing at Andronic and his UED decorations. "We thought we got you sons of bitches in the end!"

" Raynor!" the Admiral seethed and launched himself in a fistfight with the rebel leader. He wasn't pulling any of his punches, but the former marshall defended himself pretty well. "You and your monster for a girlfriend will pay for killing my commanders! They... were... like... parents to me! Stukov... of all of them, was my mentor! DAMN YOU! DAMN KERRIGAN! DAMN THIS SECTOR! he shouted, before Rory got him by the collar with his mechanical arm.

" You aren't going to hurt our commander, cowboy! Back away before you lose your teeth!"

Schnitt the intervened, punching Swann in the chest and sending him back into his seat.

" Can it, useless miner! I know your ilk! he then added. Back on Meinhoff, you thought you were a hero, eh? Now look at your arm! Confronting Tavish Kerr was a fool's errand.

Esmeralda then dueled with Black Knife, psionically of course. The strange ghost wanted to stunt her father, but she would have none of it.

Matt Horner and Josef Harding both extended their hands between the two parties, trying to separate them!

" Everybody stand down!" they simultaneously shouted, amazing everyone and even themselves because of it.

" See? They really are like two drops of water! I love them!"

" Uhhhhh!" they both sighed and looked at each other with mistrust in their eyes.

" I'm not like him!" said Horner.

" Neither am I! I am an honourable UED officer working for the benefit of humanity! said Josef.

Mira tried to abstain herself from laughing even more; her stomach ached. Truly a sight to see.

" My, my, you boys should learn to play nice with each other! Do take turns at saving humanity and being heroes, though!"

" Stay out of this, Mira!" the two captains cut her speech abruptly.

Even now, when he was battling one of his enemies, Andronic could not help but feel strange. It was as if he was breaking his vows of uniting the terrans and ending the conflict. That's what he promised himself when he embarked on this journey, as he was leaving Earth. That is what he reminded himself and others everytime he needed to get them together. It was his greatest dream, but even that had to be placed in balance with his revenge. Choosing a side wasn't always that easy.

Suddenly, he stopped and started taking Jim's punches intentionally. The commander, however, seeing as his adversary did not defend himself, followed his example and stood down and so did the others.

" Finally! You feel any better?" Raynor asked.

" You have no idea!" Andronic smiled. A strange, next to madness smile, one would say.

 _ **Thanks for reading so far. If you have any suggestions, please review or PM me any time. I would gladly take them into consideration. I will try to update weekly, if possible. Have a good day! :)**_


	8. 8: Rival commanders

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own Starcraft, nor do I make a profit from any activity relating with the franchise.

 **Author's note:** _ **First, I would like to thank all my readers for viewing my fanfiction! It is always great to see that people appreciate your work! :)) If you would be so kind as to give your opinion about this story, I would appreciate it. If it got you interested, you can always follow it! ;)**_

 _ **Still, I liked both the game and the story very much. Thus I felt I should develop part of it in a new way. The UED fascinated me and the perspective of a terran remnant group, light years away from Earth, with no chance of going back and having to confront an entire sector seemed to be a good starting point for a story involving both the original characters and some new, unique ones. I will try to stick to the original story as best as I can. However, remember that this is a fanficiton and not everything must go according to the letter.**_

 **Chapter 8:** _ **Rival commanders**_

 _Inside Mira's hidden base underneath Deadman's Port._

Diplomacy reached a new level with all of them gathered there. The air around them was filled with barely contained fury, mistrust and unorthodox thoughts. Both the Argonauts- UED remnants- and Raynor's Raiders looked at each other with the most unfriendly of glares. It was obvious that they did not expect to meet here; not under these circumstances.

The dim light of the room only served to amplify the mute confrontation. Andronic was locked in an arm wrestling with Raynor and it looked like the former Mar Sara marshall was going to beat him; third time in a row. The Admiral was clenching and grinding his teeth as his right arm was being slowly turned to the side. He lost!

Rory Swann cheered while Matt Horner, Graven Hill and Black Knife each let out a long whistle.

" I must say not all of you UED captains are pussies, I'll give you that!" Raynor said.

" I'll say it this once: don't push those buttons again! I am one of the few remaining UED officers in the Koprulu Sector. You wiped all but some of us out! Do you know how it feels to be 10000 light years away from your home, in a sector full of enemies with no one to give a shit about your fate?" Andronic shot back angrily, but with drops of sorrow in his voice.

Raynor was taken aback by his response but did not let his guard down. There were too many dangers related with people like this Andronic. You could not know what he was thinking, what he was planning, not even what he was doing here, as Mira hadn't told him that they would receive guests like these. They had come all this way because she said one of her Umojan contacts wanted to reveal some classified information regarding the Dominion. He and his revolution have been hitting more and more rough spots for a while now and a new, high priority target to destroy, would give them the edge and the morale they needed in their fight against Mengsk. If they could get more visibility, then they would certainly get more and more people to speak out against the tyrant that ruled the terran worlds with an iron fist.

" Father, you may want to talk with the pig after all!" Esmeralda spoke, gaining the other's attention in a sec. " His goals are similar to ours to some degree!" she added.

Rayonr gazed upon the tall ghost with green hair, ruby eyes and purple circuit suit. He did not mind her before and that seemed quite strange. He was usually very careful when around psychics. This time, however, he didn't really notice her until now.

" Wait a minute! How do you know that?" he dared ask and then a distant memeory came to mind. She wasn't the first female ghost to do that on their first meeting; also, she called him a pig, just like Sarah. But father? Andronic is her father?

" Yes, I have read your mind and yes, he is my father, so keep your dirty thoughts to yourself, you idiot!" she said, getting Mira and Black Knife to laugh.

Josef then turned to Black Knife. He had many questions to ask, especially since the Admiral never told him what they discussed about when they spoke, some time ago.

" Can someone please tell me what the blazing lasers are we all doing here? We are former enemies and former animosities may surface again. Black Knife, what is it that you are planning? What are your intentions?"

Black Knife started looked at him with the impartial expression of his mask. He had been carefully searching through their thoughts to see if they were up to the task that he would hand them. Of course, he had to thank Mira for organizing this little Friday night event at her place. He did not want to deal with Ethan Stewart or Orlan or anybody else, since they were known to break their mercenary vows. Counting on Mira's affection for Horner, as strange as that may be, she would not betray her husband, even if they married by means of a card game.

" Alright, I trust all of you now", he began on a neutral, distorted tone. " I am one of the Umojan Shadowguards, elite operatives, similar to ghosts, but with free will and no memory wipes except for the express demand of the person in cause. My superiors, the greatest spies in the Korpulu Sector, are more humane than Mengsk or the Kel-Morian overseers. I think miss Esmeralda and mister Schnitt can relate to that! Now, my government cannot hope to topple the so-called Emperor without exposing itself to eceonomic hardships or, even worse, open war. That is where you come in. You are both independent groups, both of you hate that man and his lapdogs and all of us wish to live a better life in this corner of the Universe.

" Well, he's right about that!" Raynor interrupted but Black Knife pushed him aside with but a thought.

" As I was saying, I have summoned you here to plan the destruction of Braxis. If I recall, mr Andronic was part of the force that took Boralis during the war. He also kicked Duke's ass with only his cruiser, incredible as it may seem. However, the situation may have changed during the last three years and we need to take precautions. Your combined forces will have a better chance at breaking through any blockade that the Dominion may raise. An alliance between your Argonauts- he said pointing to Andronic- and your Raiders- he added, pointing at Raynor- is mandatory for the succes of this mission!"

They all had a long pause, during which no one knew what to say or wanted to. Frictions between the two groups have already taken place and they were the commanders and were on neutral ground, so to speak. Andronic hadn't mentioned anything about the Solaris System but Black Knife hacked into their network some time ago and had surely found out about their hidden colonies. The Admiral had a hunch that the shadowguard did not forget to mention that to the Raiders or Mira, or worse, to both!

To the amazement of most of those present at the moment, Josef Harding, hardly a man of the initiative, spoke with disdain in his voice:

" I feel obligated to underline the fact that this is cobelligerance we are talking about here! A common enemy, minimal reciprocal help and advice and each shall go his way once all is done!"

" I must agree with the UED officer, sir! Our revolution doesn't include the likes of them! When it comes to freedom, reform, people's rights, we simply cannot count on former UED and Kel-Morians, given their history!" Matt Horner added, to which Raynor didn't know how to answer. He instead looked at the Argonaut command once again, trying to figure out what to make of them, of their goals, of their thoughts. The green haired ghost, Esmeralda, said that they had similar goals to him and the Raiders. It could be far fetched, but he would agree to this "cobelligerence" if it meant taking out one of Mengsk's best suppliers of Vespene Gas.

" The kid's right, cowboy! I don't like this Schnitt character, Rory said as he claped his artificial left arm a few times. " If there's more like him onboard these ships, I would run them into a star if I could! That'll teach 'em!"

The atmosphere was getting tense once again and Black Knife didn't like where this was going.

" Now-now gentlemen, let's not jump to conclusions just yet! I have proof that mr Andronic and his Argonauts are somewhat different than the factions they previously belonged to!"

" We'll see about that!" Raynor puffed.

Graven Hill, seizing the opportunity, took his computer case and sat next to Andronic and Josef. He took a purely business like stance and tone. He then proceeded to open the case and press a few buttons. Three holograms, each representing an upgraded goliath model, appeared before their eyes.

" Heard you wanted to hire some of your former colleagues. I have something for you: the Spartan Company...

" I know them! They were part of the Atlas Wing. Last time I checked, they were on Char, defending the platforms from the zerg flyers. I see that the bloody bastards made it somehow!" Andronic interrupted, barely containing his joy. " They and their upgraded gear will come in handy, no doubt. Where can I meet them?" he asked.

Graven Hill gave him a weak smile. He would be getting some extra money out of this. Helping Raynor was part of the reason he agreed to deal with this guy. Now, seeing as he might want to requisition the entire Spartan Company and other UED remnants, he figured he might make a profit while at it.

" Sure. Tomorrow, you can meet them back at this location", he said, sending him the data. " It's the warehouse that they use to store and repair their gear inbetween missions. Right now, they have finished all their previous contracts and are enjoying some R&R. It will cost you though!" he added with a big smile on his face.

While Josef or Schnitt might have benn annoyed by the prospect of paying their former men to get back in line, Marcu Andronic did not have any problem at all. He would be glad to have them back. He knew their officers and also knew that the members of this greek company, were fiercely loyal to the UED cause. It was because of the loss of Gerard DuGalle and Stukov that they took to becoming mercenaries. Perhaps he would give them a new goal.

" Fair enough mr Hill! I thank you for your services!" he said handing him a chip with 3000 credits, much to the amazement of everyone present. The mercenary contracter was taken aback, but did not refuse the generous payment. He was right, he thought, there was money to be made with these guys, be it Raiders or Argonauts. He could see the similarities between this Andronic and Raynor. He hoped that the two would eventually unite forces, for he would get more credits out of it. There was also an ulterior motive, but he dared not think or speak about it with so many powerful telepaths around here.

" Raynor, it will be hard, if not impossible to forgive you for aiding the _Queen Bitch of the Universe_ in destroying us."

" It was the best plan at the moment. You coming all the way from Earth to kill or enslave not just us, but also the zerg and the protoss didn't help at all. I, for one, believed that she was back to her old self, once the Overmind was destroyed. I was very, very wrong!" he added with dissapointment in his voice.

" Because of that, I am going to give you a chance to improve the relationship between my group and yours. I have to know though, if that bitch ever comes back, would you stand by us, by humanity and kill her?" Andronic asked staring into his eyes, into his soul, with those ghostly pale eyes that he had.

" Father, I agree with you!" Esmeralda entered the conversation. " You gave me a chance, when you freed me. You gave Schnitt a chance when you first met. Why would it be different with Raynor here? I believe he can kill her!" the young ghost gazed upon them with her flickering ruby eyes.

Matt Horner's heart was melted by the sincerity of the girl's words; so was Rory, to some degree at least. The two then asked their commander if he was up to that supreme, far, yet unavoidable task.

" I will kill the Queen of Blades! She is a monster and she killed my Sarah! For that alone, she deserves to die!" Raynor finally said.

" Wait! Wasn't Sarah Kerrigan the Queen of Blades?" asked the young ghost.

" No, Esmeralda! She was the most special person in the Universe for me all those days! You should have seen her- he said, giving her a foto of Kerrigan, taken right before her demise-. Not only beautiful, but deadly as well! As a ghost, she scored a perfect 10 on the Psi Index, perhaps even more, who knows?" The green haired ghost looked at her red haired counterpart with admiration and a bit of envy. There was also something about her face. Pure happiness, one derived not only from finding the love of her life (Jim Raynor) but also being freed from a cage, a prison of loneliness, sadness and confusion. It was all there, in Sarah's emerald green eyes, in her encouraging smile.

" What happened to her?" she dared asked, but then wished she hadn't done that, as Jim Raynor looked like he was going to destroy the room. He didn't. Instead, he went for a cigar, but found out that he was fresh out.

" Here, take these! Andronic said, handing him his package of Santiago de Cuba premium cigars. He then lit his and Raynor's cigars and waited for the story.

" Thanks!" he said taking a long breath. "This is something unique, I'll give you that! Now, me and her met after Mengsk had rescued me and my boys from Mar Sara, after the zerg attacked. On Antiga Prime, we worked together to help the locals rebel against the Confederacy. We were a formidable team and each task got us closer and closer, to the point that we began to open to each other. Mengsk, being the snake the he was and still is, used a device called Psi-Emitter, which mimicked the equivalent psi signatures of 40 Rank 9 ghosts. Can you imagine how the zerg reacted to that call? They rained down on Antiga Prime like meteorites, taking out the Confederate forces that pinned us down, thus allowing us and the rebels to escape with almost no casualties. Shortly after, we also saved Edmund Duke after his ship crashlanded on the planet. Mengsk gave him amnesty and used his services to get through Tarsonis's defences. As if it wasn't enough, he used the Psi Emitters once again, unleashing the zerg upon the unsuspecting confederate capital. He did not care about the civilians there one bit, not after his planet was nuked to a toxic desert. Me and Sarah had second thoughts, I even wanted to get us both out of there, but she believed the snake to the end. When the protoss arrived and began clearing the zerg, instead of glasing the planet, like they always did, Mengsk ordered her and a task force to destroy the protoss ground force. That way no one would have escaped the hell he rained upon the planet he hated so much. I tried to reason with both of them, to no avail. After she surprisingly beat the protoss, a zerg wave overran them. We could have evacuated her and the survivors, but Mengsk disengaged the fleet. So, me and my Rangers turned Raiders formed a splinter group and together with the Mar Sara magistrate, we went after her, but it was too late; she was gone!" he spoke slowly and took a long pause after mentioning her " death". Nevertheless, by defying him, we branded ourselves as outlaws. He gathered whatever survivors we could, destroyed Duke's rear guard and the Ion Cannon and made our escape. Right after, we paid a visit to the Dylarian Shipyards and managed to steal quite a few of the snake's ships."

" I swear to God, that place is such an easy target!" Andronic admitted, but Matt gestured him to shut up.

" Some time later, I began having all sorts of strange dreams. I even heard her voice and was extatic about it. Me and Matt then pinpointed the location based on the description of these visions; it was Char. Me and the Raiders, but also Duke, were drawn in by her desperate psionic call. She was being trapped in a cocoon of sorts and we tried to bust her out. Sadly, it was her that busted out.

She was changed, covered in a strange carapace of sorts, impervious to bullets. Also sprouting from her body were bone like wings that tore through neosteel as if it was butter. Her appearence, her yellow eyes, her powerful, cold voice, everything had changed. She butchered Duke's forces first, forcing him to retreat and then concentrated on taking mine out. Right after killin anybody else, I was expecting to die in a horrid way, but she didn't do it. Instead, she told me to leave and never seek her or the zerg out ever again. Nothing was left of her former persona!"

Esmeralda couldn't help herself from crying. The story, as Jim narrated it, was even sadder than her own life and she sometimes wept for nights to come, nonstop. Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades, was a living tragedy and Raynor was moping because he wasn't able to save her.

Matt knew he had to continue with what happened after that. Raynor and the remaining Raiders helped the protoss defend against her, then accompanied Tassadar back to Aiur and helped take down the Overmind. He then helped with the evacuation to Shakuras and became a hero to the protoss. Zeratul, Artanis and Fenix were his best friends among that race. The last one in particular, praetor Fenix, was at his side when Kerrigan came to warn them about the new UED threat, claiming redemption. He would later pay that loyalty with his life, when the infested woman turned on her allies, breaking his heart yet again.

This time, the green haired ghost could not help herself. She hugged Raynor tightly, much to the surprise of Josef. Even he, however, understood the pain that the man was going through. Bowing respectfully, he shook each Raider's hand. So did Schnitt, although Rory took some time to convince to lay aside his repulse for the former morian. Andronic finished his cigar, threw the bits in a nearby bin and got up.

" Raynor, I was wrong about you! You too have suffered at the hands-claws of the zerg. You too have been the victim of Mengsk's treachery. Should you honor that vow to kill her, I will aid you if I am nearby. Just call!"

" I was wrong about you too, UED bastard!" Raynor said smiling, trying to wave off the sadness. " It seems you have a heart, and a brain, if I might add! Perhaps that is why you managed to survive this long. We will succeed in taking out Braxis and Mengsk afterwards. Wether we do that together or separately, it doesn't matter that much."

Mira Han-Horner was happy that they all managed to get along with each other. Time was really flying, as she recently realised. They've been talking for over 5 hours now; it was getting late.

Black Knife gave both groups 12000 credits as an advance payment for the task ahead. The reward for an eventual succes would amount to 25 times that sum for the Raiders and also for the Argonauts.

Tomorrow evening, they would meet again and decide upon the course of action.

 _During all that time, back at Stewart's mansion, the city of Paradise._

Rosemary stepped out of Ramsey's ship, carrying him in her arms. She usually despised people like him, thinking that they were snobish, selfish and too smart now to look down on those around them, but he proved her wrong. During the archeological expedition on Nemaka, a rock in the middle of fu**ing nowhere, the team was faced with a strange event. A protoss "woman", if they even had these amongst their race, which identified herself as Zamara, attacked them psionically, before Jake Ramsey jumped her and killed her. However, as she found out, the so called protoss preserver somehow merged with the scientist and he gained part of her psionic powers in return for housing her in his body. Valerian Mengsk betrayed them and they were on the run. The only place that would house them was Deadman's Rock- Ethan Stewart in particular.

Looking around Stewart's property, she spotted Randall coming her way. He was dressed in his usual valet attire and looked quite friendly- as per her lover's orders, most likely. She didn't like him, because he was very skilled and stealthy, like any assasin should be. She had seen him kill ghosts, even though he did not posess any psionic powers at all. That alone was a testimony to his skill. She wouldn't want to confront him in the future, if possible.

Extending a hand, Philip Randall offered to carry Ramsey, but she wouldn't let him. Instead, she ordered him to carry her stuff from the ship back to the mansion. She did not require any directions; she knew her way around pretty well, from the days she worked and lived here with the crime lord.

 _30 minutes later, the mansion's dining room._

" I've missed you, dear!" he began, holding her right hand tightly. " You cannot know how I felt during those lonely nights without you next to my heart!"

" Oh, that's so pleasent to hear! I do think you are capable of literally stealing my heart and laying it next to you, in a jar!" she said, half serious.

" Disgusting! How crude you have become over these months when you've been away! But let's just forget what you said. Why is the princess going after you? What threat could he, a pampered boy, pose to you and other guns-for-hire?"

Now they reached the most difficult part of the story. If she chose to reveal Ramsey's secret condition to Stewart, it could either help them lie low or turn them to the Dominion. Her only sort of guarantee was the fact that her lover hated the Dominion and Mengsk especially. Hopefully that would realte to his son Valerian as well. So, she took a deep breath and told him everyhing that she knew of. Obviously, she lied a few times, so as to give more credibility on Ramsey's innocence in all those matters.

Ethan Paul Stewart was amazed by what he was hearing. It seemed almost unbelievable, were it not for Rosemary's data disks that she handed him over. From this point on, things will be going very well for the both of them. He only hoped that Ramsey wouldn't get in the way of their private life.

" Alright, I've seen enough!" he said, closing his computer. " I can't believe that cunt betrayed you two like that! For that, if he ever set foot on my turf, I would eviscerate him!" Ethan said furiously, much to Rosemary's amazement. So he still had some feelings for her after all; it meant she was right to trust him. " Now then, my dear, shall I show you to your-our quarters?" he said politely and mischievously.

 _9 hours later, Jake's room in the mansion_

" _**Jake, you must wake up now! You are in grave danger and so is your friend! JAKE RAMSEY YOU WILL OBEY MY COMMAND AND WAKE UP NOW OR I"LL WREST CONTROL FROM YOUR BODY!"**_ Zamara, the protoss preserver shouted in his mind.

The scientist woke up with a gods-damned headache. Having to share your mind with another being, more advanced than one would ever imagine, was as intrigueing as it was painful and difficult. However, Zamara, being keen on surviving and perhaps returning to her race, aided him and Rosemary Dahl on many occasions during the duo's( or trio's?) escape. Even though he wasn't psionically gifted, she was, and the merging of their energies opened his way to what the preserver reffered to as " Khala". He then went on to learn quite a lot about this alien race that was supposedly evil. On the contrary, they were well ahead of mankind and had acces to technology and abilities no one could ever dream to posess. Under other circumstances, he would have loved to delve into the Khala and learn as much as he could, but his condition would simply not allow it. No mere human, as Zamara specifically stated, was able to connect with the protoss ancestral network for long, without frying his brain. He was proud of what he managed to achieve so far.

" _What's wrong Zamara? I thought we got away from Valerian and his goons. I was told this place, Ethan Stewart's mansion, was far and safe from his clutches! She trusts me, she trusts him and I do not have a reson to doubt the guy's love for her. He will shelter us, I'm sure of it!"_

" _**You might want to verifiy that again. Dahl did not visit you, no servant ever came to see you and you are currently underground- 6 stories, if I might add!"**_

" _6 stories? WTF!? Then it must mean..."_

" _**I told you that you two are in danger! I sense something odd about this crime lord. He is somehow protecting his thoughts from my powers; I do not know how that is possible"**_

" _Psi screens! The dominion created such devices so as to protect their officials and VIPs from mind probing by other telepaths. It has been known to fail at times, though. Did you pick up anything odd?"_

" _**Yes, he seems alarmed by your arrival. Although he may seem content with having his lover back, I sense a great deal of worry, partial confusion and**_ _ **something else."**_

" _Okay, I see your point, but there's no need to panic just yet. He might see the change in my-our- behaviour and that would be problematic for us. Any idea on how to proceed or is it up to me again?"_

" _**This is preoposterous! You dare insult a protoss preserver? Mind you, I am able to render your mind useless with but a thought...**_

" _Leaving you utterly clueless in a body that is foreign to you. Indeed Zamara, you are truly wise!" he interrupted her, then laughed mentally. Now don't get me wrong,some humor is needed, if we are to find a way to get you back to your people and out of my head."_

" _**Though you seem to be a very interesting subject for my study on lesser beings, I must admit you have proven yourself to be somewhat useful. My people, the Khalai and the Nerazim would be in your debt!"**_

" _I hope so! I also hope that I could get some answers from them. For now, I will keep an eye out for Stewart and his valet, nothing more. 'Night Zamara!" he said, going to sleep._

" _**It would be everything but a good night!" she spoke to herself.**_

 _The next day, the western quarters of Deadman's Port, 11:43 city time._

Leadby one of Mira Han's trusted henchman, the Argonauts headed to the location that Graven Hill gave them yesterday. Andronic, above all others, gave the projected meeting much thought. About three years have passed since he last heard from the Spartan Company. The lieutenant-colonel in charge of the above mentioned battle group, Orlando Castellano was the kind of man he never liked. On a professional level, he appreciated his expertise, quick thinking and creativity. On a more personal level, he despised the him, because of the fact that he was known to court martial or, better said, murder those that did not agree with him. It didn't matter if there was a good reason behind a protest or a different opinion than his. Damn rare were the cases in which he listened to the pleas of the men and women serving under him. He was a short man, 1.68 meters high, slender, with black hair, similar colored, maleficient eyes and a permanent creepy smile on his face. He had olive skin and liked to show his tatoos around. They depicted macabre scenes taken from some apocalyptic comics, back from Earth. If he was leading the bunch, then he might have a few problems getting them back into the fold.

After 20 more minutes of scouring the area, they found the respective warehouse. Everything around them looked derelict, just like half of Deadman's Port. Andronic took the lead, going up to the building's intercom to talk with the mercs. Hopefully, they will ask first and maybe shoot later!

Pressing the button, the Admiral could already hear the sounds of metal clinging and turning, as multiple figures started getting in position or powering up their goliath combat walkers. Finally, a gruff voice answered the call:

" Go away, pispqueek! We ain't got time for every little shit around here!"

Andronic recognized the voice immediately. It was one of Castellano's most trusted lieutenants, so to say. His name was Derrick Shaw (Double Shit, as Andronic called him). In order to catch them by surprise, Andronic gave a mental command to Esmeralda to talk with the loser and she did just that.

" Oh, don't be like that! Can you please get your boss on the radio? I want to talk to him... personally and passionately!" she purred, probably arousing the idiot on the other side of the comm.

Derrick bought it right away. For the pig he was, he knew that if a chick showed on their doorstep, Castellano will have the first go with her. Wether it was a casual talk or walk, or a trip to his bedroom, it matterd not. After that however, he was usually second in line to " take care" of the respected lady.

" Boss, you might want to check the killer hot girl ringing at you doorstep!" he spoke through a mic. The response was quick enough and soon, Castellano was at the intercomm next to the door.

" To whom do I owe the pleasure?" he asked politely.

That was when Esmeralda used her psionic powers to open wide the warehouse doors, revealing their little group to the stunned members of the dreaded Spartan Company. It was Andronic's turn to make the introductions.

" Aşa îmi vine să vă dau câte o lopată după cap, handicapaţilor! Unde dracu aţi fost atâta timp?" ( I am very much tempted to hit your heads with a shovel at the moment, you mindless idiots! Where the heck have you been all this time?) he asked, stunning them. While they've never seen their merry group before, the warehouse's occupants knew of only one man that spoke to them in his mother tongue like that. And they couldn't or wouldn't believe their ears.

" What the screaming f***!" swore the Spartan Company's capo, as he closed in on them, his menacing bodyguards behind him. " Captain Marcu Andronic, all in once piece! Check this out, you worms! How you been doing, miho de puta?" he asked him on a somewhat hostile tone.

" Quite well, căpşunar sugaci ce eşti!"( you strawberry peasent with a sucker for a character) the the other answered. " And its Admiral Andronic to you!" he corrected the short spaniard.

Orlando Castellano's eyes flared with anger. His teeth clenched at the sound of the rank that his former colleague atributted to himself. He unsheethed his multiple purpose Malta knife, rolling the various blades with a master's skill, then impaling it at Andronic's feet.

" Marcu, we all know you don't deserve that rank, even with DuGalle and Stukov and the others dead. We may have been colleagues before, but me and my troops won't bow down to you or anyone. We are free now, no longer bound to anything or anyone, but the contractor. And, even then, we are the ones making the crucial decisions. Am I clear?"

Andronic did not care about his little show of power. As the short man he was, Castellano was rather amusing when he was confronting taller people. That also applied to his short temper. In a few words, he was a ticking time bomb to the one that did not know him.

" Funny, I did not think you were on to break your vows. Remember our goals? To unite the terrans and pacify the Koprulu Sector? Well, I still stand by them, and so do my people. I gave them the choice of fleeing, yet they remained to help me achieve them. Once I heard that you guys made it out- he said loudly, turning to those around him-, I came to Deadman's Rock as quick as possible to asess the situation. I have only one thing to say!"

" Pfff! And that is?" asked Orlando Castellano, folding his hands.

" Congratulations!" Andronic shouted, sincerly and encouraging, taking everyone by surprise.

After a couple of minutes of confusion, a few of the goliath pilots started aplauding and were soon followed by others, until the whole place was nothing short of a theatre of sorts.

Raising a hand, Andronic paused them, as he wished to continue with a speech:

" I should thank you, for surviving! The unfortunate events at the end of the so called Brood Wars have showed us that underestimating our opponents was the most dangerous mistake we had ever made. On the other hand, they have also shown us that only through sheer skill and determination, the most worthy of us would survive and press on to achieve our goals. But fate is not a fixed road, one we cannot alter. So are rules, I am afraid.

I will be straightforward with you. When the main UED fleet was retreating from Char, after a given amount of time, it was attacked by Kerrigan's zerg. Had me and my Blockade Squadron not turned around and shot our way through the enemy's flanks, we wouldn't have been here to talk to you. The rest of the force. however, was not so lucky. Even I paid the price, as two cruisers were taken out before we warp jumped. We found new allies, kicked the Dominion's ass for a couple of times and made quite a mess while at it! he said, and then proceeded to present those under his command. " You obviously know Josef, my deputee officer. This is Esmeralda, a ghost whom we had freed from Mengsk's grasp and that big fellow over there is captain Schnitt, a former morian commander; very capable, by the way!"

Castellano was nervously pacing through the room. That little outburst of sympathy from his troops would not go unpunished. For now, he will let it slide, so as to not give them a reason to desert him and rejoin Andronic.

" So, you and your ragtag band of brigands turned New Sydney to bits?" another lieutenant of Orlando's asked.

" Yes, we have! If you wish, I can send you the recording from the Decebalus!"

" That means you did quite a number with that nuke of yours!" another commented, getting nods of approval from others around him.

" Together we could do that and much more. Revenge is quite sweet, I can relate to that. If you cared to join us, we would treat you as our brothers and sisters and I can guarantee you won't be disappointed on the medium and long terms. Some friction is to be expected at the beginning, but nothing too difficult to the most badass goliath band in the sector, right?"

Another round of wild aplause rocked the warehouse and the surroundings. Orlando Castellano could feel his position shattering with each word the " Admiral" spoke. He would have to put an end to this, or he would be rendered to a mere soldier. He didn't want that; he despised being ordered around, especially by the stupid, somewhat idealistic Andronic. Plus there was a rivalry between their countries back on Earth.

Closing in on Andronic, he drew a knife and stabbed him in the stomach before anyone else, even Esmeralda could react. The Admiral fell to the ground in an instant. Grinning evily, the capo of the Spartan Company turned his attention to the rest of the Argonauts.

" He will die shortly! No one comes to boss me around and gets away with it, you hear me?" he shouted to all those present at the moment. " Now if you all want to live, you'd better obey my every command starting now! he continued, playing with his Malta knife rather insistently.

" Father!" Esmeralda bursted and she was barely held back by a saddened Schnitt.

" Sir!" Josef Harding made a move, but was cut on the cheek by a swift like a viper Castellano.

" It's the last warning, you putas! Otherwise, this place will be your graveyard!"

 _ **Sorry for the wait, but I wanted to make this as detailed as possible.**_

 _ **Again, any suggestions are welcome, either by PM or through**_ _ **reviews**_ _ **. I would appreciate your sincerity very much.**_

 _ **As to the main storyline, the necessary ties will be made in the next chapters. Some very famous characters will show up on the way, along with new ones (probably OCs).**_

 _ **Please**_ _ **follow**_ _ **or**_ _ **favorite**_ _ **the story if you like it ;). Seeing it being read gives me the determination to continue writing.**_

 _ **Have a nice day!**_


	9. 9: Two sided approach

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own Starcraft, nor do I make a profit from any activity relating with the franchise.

 **Author's note:** _ **First, I would like to thank all my readers for viewing my fanfiction! It is always great to see that people appreciate your work! :)) If you would be so kind as to give your opinion about this story, I would appreciate it. If it got you interested, you can always follow it! ;)**_

 _ **Still, I liked both the game and the story very much. Thus I felt I should develop part of it in a new way. The UED fascinated me and the perspective of a terran remnant group, light years away from Earth, with no chance of going back and having to confront an entire sector seemed to be a good starting point for a story involving both the original characters and some new, unique ones. I will try to stick to the original story as best as I can. However, remember that this is a fanficiton and not everything must go according to the letter.**_

 **Chapter 9:** _ **Two sided approach**_

 _Inside the Spartan Company's warehouse in Deadman's Port._

" It's the last warning, you putas! Otherwise, this place will be your graveyard!

Everyone was shocked by what Orlando Castellano, the former UED lieutenant colonel in charge of this goliath company, just did. Esmeralda was about to unleash a psionic storm right there, were it not for the fact that about 50 guns were pointed their way. Josef held his revolver at eye level, the target being Castellano, obviously and so did Schnitt, with his gauss rifle. Only problem were the numbers. 50 vs 3, not counting the goliath pilots that chose not to target them yet and even that could change. How they were supposed to deal with the bastard in charge was beyond them right now.

" Alright, drop your weapons and surrender your credit cases and cards, now!" came the short spaniard's command. Seeing as they were out of any solutions short of a miracle, they obeyed him, reluctantly though.

As Castellano was looking pleased at the moment. New slaves to serve him, especially the young, green haired ghost operative, that they called Esmeralda. A shitload of credits, " Who said credits don't fall out of the sky?" he thought to himself, rather amused. And, above all, Marcu Andronic, that pesky former colleague of his was finally out of the picture. If he was somehow still breathing, he was surely dying; he didn't even budge an inch since he stabbed him and sent him to the ground with but a move.

" Sir!" one of his lieutenants was calling him, but he didn't mind him.

" Sir!" again, this time it was Derrick Shaw, who only rarely interupted his thoughts. That meant it was something serious going on.

" What the heck, cabron? Can't you see I'm enjoying myself?" he answered back angrily, only for his anger to turn into pure fright, when he felt a strong electronic shock surge through his body and then he found himself on the floor, cowering like a helpless idiot, unable to move more than a few centimeters. " Que passa?" he asked before he got punched in the stomach.

As he was losing his vision, along with his other senses, he could see something that he could only regard as a ghost( the etheral kind): Marcu Andronic, closing in on him.

The others were left speechless as well. None had expected the Admiral to survive that wound. The Malta knife was designed to kill in less than five minutes, and only an emergency surgery may prevent that. 5 minutes passed since the guy got stabbed and here he was, standing, albeit rather unsure, on his two legs, with no support at all. Truly amazing, were the two words on most of the company's lips.

" Mama dracului, ce doare!( by the devil's mother, this hurts as hell!)" he stated, before he fell to one knee and covered his bleeding wound. A small pool of blood covered the floor, where he previously lay.

" Father!" Esmeralda shouted and ran over to help him. She stepped on Castellano a few times( 20), unintentionally, of course. Schnitt couldn't help himself to lift the cumbag off the ground and throw him against the wall, hitting Derrick Shaw in the process. Josef, on the other hand, let go of his usually calm presence of spirit and began to pound both villans with as much force as he could muster. That too, was utterly shocking for those who knew the deputee officer for a rather timid, good person. Seeing as how he landed the wicked blows that turned Shaw and Castellano to a bloody pulp, eventually killing the both of them sent shivers down each and everyone's spine.

Esmeralda used her psionics to get him out of there and next to her. She then proceeded to to bitch-slap him four times, finally getting him back to his senses.

" Oh yea! Got carried away a bit!" he escused himself, getting curious looks from her and Schnitt.

" A little? Boy, you punched the sorry losers to death. That's a bit over the limit, even for me!" commented Schnitt.

" As if!" laughed Andronic, while covering his wound. *cough*, *cough* " Any medic around by the way?" he asked, half ironically, which got him a strange look from his daughter. She couldn't know how important it was to feel positive when you had a not so nice looking stab wound in your stomach, not to far away from your truly vital parts.

Although reluctantly, two of the company's medics, whom he remembered as the best of the best, approached and knelt beside him, getting their equipment ready for a field surgery. Esmeralda looked at him, unsure wether to leave him in their hands or try to get him back to the ship. However, when he stroked her cheek like the parent he was, she understood his wish and the trust he was putting in the Spartan Company, now that Orlando and his goon were dead.

They proceeded to undress him, leaving his bust naked. That's when they found out how he survived.

" Lucky bastard!" one of the medics said, getting them to smile. " He took precautions by wearing an armor underneath. It didn't stop the blade completly, but it reduced the damages by 70%. He'll be fine once we are over!" she finished and pushed the others aside to begin the surgery.

 _2 hours later..._

" Freaking finally!" the medics let out sighs of relief, as they finished bandaging Andronic. The combination of Anticorps, Stem-cells and Tissue-Regrowth-Acceleration-Drugs(T.R.A.D), plus the careful incisions and cauterisations managed to not only stop the bleeding, but also restore any damage that has been done.

The Admiral took another 15 minutes to wake up and get up with the help of the medics. Even though he wasn't so sure about his steps or composture, he nonetheless looked the Company in the eyes and said:

" Thank you for your loyalty! Once again you have proven to be... honourable persons! he talked with pauses in between words as he couldn't ignore all the pain. " I would be very happy if you would join us in creating a better future for humanity out here! Let us do what we do best! Let us be heroes!" he mustered all the strenght he had left while he said those words. It wasn't exactly pleasent, but it had the desired effect. Most of the officers lynched Orlando's remaining lapdogs and then proceeded to shake his hand or pat him on the back, each saying his thank you.

The whole scene certainly amazed Esmeralda and Schnitt, none of them having seen anything like it before. If anything, it only increased their trust in her father(and their commander, respectively). The new additions amounted to over 200 goliaths and their pilots, plus maintenance crews, reserves and a significant number of marines. In total, they were talking about 1400 elite men and women that would serve with the Argonauts.

The Admiral called Trevor for extraction, beckoning the captain of the Lancaster to hurry but not arouse suspicion. There were always eavesdropers and spies among this city and the news of Castellano's death will surely spread quickly. If he knew the man well( and he did), then he also knew that he had a habit of making some rather dangerous friends that would somehow avenge his death, should it ever occur. Well, now was one of those times and he did not wish to stay and prove this fact.

It had taken them about an hour to properly evacuate everyone onboard the many transports and on the battlecruisers themselves. Surprisingly, no one dared stop them. Now, after showing the Spartan Company its quarters, colleagues, rights and duties aboard the Decebalus, the Lancaster and the Moonreaver, captains Josef, Trevor and Schnitt all went to their rooms and enjoyed a good old fashioned binge drinking episode. It was a hell of a day for all of them!

 _Decebalus medbay, not too long after everyone got onboard._

Admiral Marcu Andronic was given a medical interdiction to step out of the medbay, as his wounds will take some time to fully recover. Seeing it as it was an order of medical concern, the UED law and, by extension, the Argonauts law, forbade him from taking command while he was required to rest. It would take an emergency of unheard importance to override such a law and he intended to obey it. If he didn't obey the laws he proposed and adopted, then who will?

Beside him, on the bed, sat Esmeralda, the ghost he had adopted those years ago but only recently got to call "his daughter". He liked to do that. It reminded him of the family he never got to establish, since he was so idealistic about making the Universe a safer place for humanity. Since he wasn't that bad looking, he had a few love interests some years ago, but he turned them all down eventually, as he held duty in a higher regard and respect, as inhumane as that may sound. Yet here he was, having a caring daughter next to him in his time of need.

" Father, that was foolish of you! How could you do such a thing?" she said after an awkward silence.

" Do what?" he asked dumbly, just to annoy her; it worked, by the way.

" I'm a telepath, remember? I can tell when you are messing around so go straight to the point pelase! Why confront him like that, in the open, with no precautions whatsoever, betting everything on goodwill and good luck?"

" Because, my dear Esmeralda, I believe that anybody can be saved if he truly wishes to be. I had high hopes, dreams that recurred to me on every night for a few years now. Some turned out to be nightmares, disappointments, but I managed to overcome them by not losing focus on my humanity. That is something that doesn't necessarily refer to your physical image, rather, to your heart, your soul. They are the center of your being, so do not ever lose sight of them. If you do, you will lose sight of your true self.

With regard to Orlando, I thought that this time spent alone with his company, exposed to the dangers of the Koprulu Sector, coupled with his homesickness and the need to find reliable allies will change his mind. It turned out that I was wrong and that he was an even worse snake than he had previously been. Those under him however, are quite different and most of them agree with our views. So you see, sometimes you have to take some risks if you are to keeps your principles, you being, intact!" he told her while he took her left, soft hand into his rugged ones.

" I understand!" she said, bowing her head. " Still, you were both stupid and precautios, a combo only you could make!" she mused and then hugged him carefully. Releasing him, she asked if he needed anything in particular.

" I need a drink after all we went through! Am I barred from drinking alcohol too?" he asked, being worried and all. His silver eyes glimmered at the prospect of something he kept only for himself for special occasions.

" Men and their stupid drinks! she muttered, theatrics in place. "Why am I not amazed?"

" Because you know me too well! So be a sweet little one and bring your father one bottle of Pălincă from his secret stash under the dresser! The code of acces is 1130" he added.

The green haired, ruby eyed ghost came back 15 minutes later carrying a round bottle filled with a strange liquid, which resembled water. Were it not for the description, she would have joked about what he kept in so much secrecy. However, once she caught a whiff of the content, well, let's just say she wouldn't like to take a sip from the bottle anytime soon!

" Thank you dear!" he said and then drank four mouthfulls, before his entire being started twitching and his eyes were glowing like stars. " Now that was something good!"

" Right!" she said ad then covered her nose in disgust. " Anything else? Any particular order for the fleet?"

" In fact, I have one. Tell them to be on stand-by. I want *hickup* two shifts, both on green code 2. We need to be ready in case Black Knife or Raynor contacts us. Also, let us retreat to the dark side of Deadman's Rock."

" Yes, that way the Dominion won't see us in case they're looking for us here..."

" Smart girl! You're picking up fast!" he said, getting her to blush a little. " Now go and help Josef with running the ship. He definately needs you! he added, giving her a wink.

Without saying another word, the ghost left the room, leaving her father to ponder on what had happened recently.

 _The Decebalus's bridge, sometime later..._

" Heya, Josef! Missed me, you uncontrollable bengalaas tiger?" she hailed him and jumped him, getting him on the ground like the afforementioned predator, much to the delight of those on the bridge at that time. " Why don't we just take the leave and continue this conversation in my rooms? she asked and then turned to the others. " Any objections whatsoever?"

Everybody nodded as if to say everything was ok with them. Well, actually they did not want to anger the ghost after they've seen what she was capable of. " The Rainbow Vixen"- that's the nickname they gave her, for it perfectly described her being: one second she is afraid, the next she is fierce and so on.

" Hey! I've heard that!"

" Oh shit, we forgot you are a mind reader. Well, take your leave then!" said one of the older officers on deck at that time.

Josef thanked them with a nod and the couple went back to their room to take their love to a new level.

 _3 hours later, at Ethan Stewart's mansion in Paradise._

" Yes, mr Valerian, I have the duo in my care for now... No-no, I won't be surrendering them if they comitted petty crime, you know the unwritten laws of our planet... What?... She did that?... THEY did that?... Damn! Alright then, I'm open to negotiations... I said I'm not giving them away for free, you know it prince... How can I be certain that you will keep your end of the bargain?... Fair enough! Let us meet the day after tomorrow at my private domain. Please be careful, as even I can't keep all of my men from shooting first and asking questions later!... Well, don't be stupid, paint their armor with an additional color on top of the red one. That way they'll know it's just you and your people... Yes, I am looking at my account right now... 100000 credits already?!... Well, it certainly is worth the trouble, if I might add!... Then so shall it be! Goodbye, Prince!" a very familiar crime lord ended his video call, before going back to his private chambers so as to relish in the embrace of his lover once more.

 _One day later, the Decebalus medbay_

Schnitt, Esmeralda and Josef entered the chamber which was both a sanctuary and a prison for their commander: the medbay. He put down the book he was reading( incredible as it may seem, it was one printed on paper, something most people in the Koprulu Sector have never seen), Admiral Marcu Andronic motioned them to take a seat close to him, as he will reveal the details of his plan to take Braxis.

" I have spoken with Raynor via comm link some time ago. The operation will begin as soon as Black Knife gives us a green light. The Raiders will be the ones to scout the ground and check for any surprises that the Dominion may throw at us. While the defenders will be busy with them, we shall warp above around Boralis and start crashing their planetary defenses. If time allows it, we will plunder whatever we can, if not, we will certainly leave nothing behind us. With the specially designed nukes we got from Earth, it would be a walk in the park. You've seen the result of just one of those nukes. Imagine two or three of them at work...

" Utter annihilation!" interrupted Schnitt, while he lighted one of the last cuban cigars he had.

" Smoking restricted! Please put out the fire or the sprinkles shall do it for you, perpetrator!" the voice of the A.I. suddenlly kicked in, half scaring, half annoying him. " Sir, you've got your computer hating me after all this time? It even knows how to blackmail people, what the heck!"

Andronic laughed for a few seconds, getting them to smile too. " Well, you have to thank the doctor for that. She never liked smoking. In fact, she kicked the ass of anyone stupid or unwise enough to light one next to her!"

" Figures!" Schnitt added and then put it out, throwing what was left of the cigar in his breast pocket.

" I'm not finished yet! You, my friend, are going to return to the Solaris system and gather at least four more minotaur class battlecruisers! We'll need backup in case things go down the drain!"

" What? That's something I cannot go with, sir! What about my second? What about the other people that were part of my merry group before joining you? You do know that seeing us work together closely serves them as an example and is the main reason behind the peaceful coexistence of the two subfactions, right?"

" I don't agree with you! Now I shall tell you why. We are the Argonauts, not the UED or the Kel-Morian renegades. We are a cemented force of terrans driven by the goal of uniting humanity and destroying anybody that stands in our way. They cannot be dependent on me or you or any other man or woman to lead or keep them united. They have to find the strenght to overcome any unfortunate event that could lead to my, yours, ours or any other's death. Pressing forward, no matter what!" he stated, raising his fist, which Schnitt casually hit one second later.

" I gotcha, friend! Your point is valid and I hope you are able to take care of yourselves!" he said, shaking hands with him and Josef and hugging Esmeralda. " Stay alive until I get there!" he added and then left the room to board his ship.

One hour later, the Moonreaver jumped to a random location, where the crew would scan for any tracking devices and check for any moles that may have snuck onboard. A few more random warp jumps after that and then Schnitt would be able to head to the Solaris System. It was one of the essential standard procedures, in order to prevent bringing along any unwanted guests.

 _The same day, a few hours prior_

Ethan Stewart invited both Jake Ramsey and Rosemary Dahl to his dining room to enjoy the wonders the best cooks in the system could provide. Rather insistent with the alcoholic beverages, the crime lord served them copious amounts of good quality food, some which they've never tasted before. Wine, being an expensive commodity, was surprisingly abundent on the table (and in the cellars, obviously). The trio talked freely about many topics, starting from pure business and going all the way to their personal life, their past and their wishes for the future.

Jake Ramsey, having been warned in advance by Zamara of the crime lord's not so sincere thoughts and intentions, spoke calmly, not sounding disturbed in a bit. Any detail that he would give, would also be interwoven with a lie, just like Rosemary taught him. Not that he didn't pick up during his life, but, regardless, those " lessons" have proven useful for now. Ethan Stewart looked content with the story they gave him, with whatever they were talking about. If the guy wouldn't wear what was by all means a psi screen- a device that shielded terran minds from the psionic powers of telepaths-, then he(and Zamara) may find a way to tip the scales in his favour. For now, however, they were at his mercy, evidently.

" Mr Ramsey, I take it you are not enjoying yourself?" he suddenly asked, surprising him.

" No-no, after that episode with the strange protoss's death, I've been having trouble focusing!" he defended himself, geturing as naturally as possible.

" I'm sorry to hear that! The aliens are pretty freaky, if you ask me! Though I have noticed your wariness towards me since we've met. Is it really that hard for us to get along, my friend?" he pushed further, trying to destabilise him and make him slip and give him more clues about his powers.

" To a certain degree, yes! I have to admit that, three months ago, as I was signing up for the expedition, I wouldn't have imagined coming here. It's my first time and I am somewhat nervous about it. Don't tell me you wouldn't be, were you in my shoes, eh?" Ramsey talked back half sincerly.

" I guess you have a point there!" the crime lord pondered for a minute, scratching his bald head. " And having a very dangerous man sitting next to you must be frightening indeed!" he laughed in a sinister way for a few seconds, before regaining his composure.

After the copious lunch they've finished, Ethan Stewart gave them a tour of his domain, proudly showing it off to the two honoured guests. Of course, he outright forbade them to leave the perimeter reprezented by the stone walls, the main reason for that being that not all mercs in and around Paradise obeyed his command. It would take only a couple of thugs and some bad lack for them to be subdued and captured; perhaps even ransomed to the highest bidder. " I don't have to tell you that the highest bidder could be your very employer- the Mengsk princess!" he warned them and then they went on with whatever he had in mind, be it games, sports, movies or whatever else. He even showed them how a normal day in his life went by, as he dealt with various problems. Blackmailing, extorting, racketing, were consacrated methods of imposing one's will upon those utterly lawless citzens.

At the end of the day, Jake Ramsey really found out what being a crime lord meant, not that he would ever wish to become one. Ethan Paul Stewart seemed like the kind of man to keep his promise, although that psi screen always reminded him and Zamara that there was always something hiding, something that never meets the eye( or thought?). When he voiced his concern to his saviour, Rosemary Dahl, Jake was told to stay put, as she was sure of her lover's loyalty towards her and, by extension, towards him as well. The 2 in 1 being insisted, but the merc girl wouldn't have it any other way, unless given solid proof about it.

" _**This youngling is either too blind or too stupid to sense danger even when it's sitting next to her! How awfully primitive your race keeps proving to be, Jake Ramsey! I do not know how you've managed to reach for the stars with this atitude and your civil wars that I keep reading about in your mind!" Zamara said.**_

" _How narrow minded you are, my protoss friend and fellow occupant of my mind!"_

" _**Narrow minded? HOW DARE YOU? AFTER ALL I'VE DONE FOR YOU IN THOSE LAST DAYS!?" she responded to what she considered an insult.**_

" _My God, you protoss have high standards related to pretty much everything! My point is, those conflicts, the competition, the ability to think independently has given us the ability to progress, to expand, to reach for the highest limits and overcome them through ingeniousity! The Khala, as I have shortly been part of, and your traditions may backfire sometimes, especially when individual actions are required. Catch my drift, preserver Zamara?"_

" _**Although I still feel inseulted by what you have previously said, I must agree that your race still has " many surprises up its sleeves", as you say it. No living protoss has forgotten the immense help that James Raynor and his Raiders have given us in our fight against the Overmind and the zerg. He was right behind our executor, Tassadar, as he sacrificed himself to end the abomination that had taken root on our beloved Aiur! In short, you and your people are paradoxal in nature."**_

 _The second day, 04:44 Decebalus ship time_

Josef held Esmeralda tightly in his embrace, slowly and carefully massaging her soft body. Half conciously, the girl felt his gentle hands move from her neck down on her back, her breasts, her lower back,, her belly, when they suddenly stopped right there as if something had happened. Turning around to face him, she found a worried look on Josef's usually happy face.

" Is there something you want to talk about, love?" she asked kissing him. Strangely, this time he didn't kiss back; he never missed an occasion to do so.

" As a matter of fact, yes! When did you plan on telling me about the baby?" he asked, not accusingly, but rather concerned for her and the little one's well being.

" I wanted to be at your side, to pull my own weight in this fight of ours. After I've seen the pregnancy test results go positive, I did not know how you or father will react. I was afraid that you would have me abort him or worse, have me sent back to the Solaris System alone, waiting and hoping for your safe return! Believe me-she said almost crying-, I thought it was the best present I would receive after I've met father, and then you. I am about to have a fairly normal family for once in my entire, formerly miserable life! WE could be a happy family, for God's sake, Josef dear! Please, I want to be a mother more than anything else! I am prepared to assume this role! I've been for nearly five months! Just don't tell dad yet, I beg of you! Don't make him separate us!"

Deputee officer Josef Harding, captain of the Decebalus, lover of Esmeralda and soon to be father. Everything was so blurry these days, he thought. Maybe he inhaled some strange hallucinogen gas or something. Na, something like this was to be expected, after those seemingly endless nights of passion and love making. However, this time he didn't feel any intrusion in his mind. It meant that it was a serious decision that his lover wouldn't want to influence.

" UHHH! What am I ever going to do with you?" he asked half tired, half ironic. " You got me, I'm all yours!"

" Does that mean that...? she asked extaticly, with her hopes as high as the sky.

" Yes, yes, we'll keep the baby and raise him accordingly! I promise!" he surrendered.

" We'll be a great family!" she applauded and then kissed him a few times. " Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she repeated as she held him tightly.

" _God she can more like a kid in a sweets store sometimes!" he thought but then he got a mental palm on his face. " Right, here goes my secrecy!" he mused._

" _No secrecy amgonst us, Josef Harding! You are technically my husband now, even without the ceremony! I expect you to act accordingly!"_

" _And here she goes, taking command of my life too!"_

" _You wouldn't have it any other way would you?"_

" No!" he said and then closed the mind link and went back to admiring her beautiful body.

 _Decebalus deck, two hours later._

" What could be so imnportant that you had to wake me up? I believe you know that I am still recovering after a friendly knife fight, right?" Admiral Marcu Andronic asked.

" I am terribly sorry, Andronic, but I can't just sit tight and wait while the Dominion is closing in on my position! I'm going to get out of here and I suggest you do the same!" Raynor spoke with a gruff, yet hurried and worried voice.

" Where and how many?" the Admiral pressed on.

" 6 minotaur class cruisers with escort. The Gray Tiger is leading them. Matt tells me that Valerian Mengsk, the prince, is leading them. Now that's it, we're leaving!" Raynor closed the private comm link and then three battlecruisers could be seen blind warping away from the planet.

" Wonderful!" he said ironically. " Any chance that they might be looking for us?"

" No, sir! They do seem to be heading for the city of Paradise, to the crime lord's domain, to be more specific!" one of the deck officers reported.

" Unsettling! They could either be after him or working with him. Either way, we don't wanna get caught up in this. Prepare the cruisers and make sure everyone is onboard. We will make our escape as soon as possible!" the Admiral ordered.

 _Two hours prior, Jake Ramsey met with Rosemary Dahl at a remote location inside the mansion._

" I want to prove to you that he isn't as nice as he looks! In fact, he made the supreme mistake of turning off the psi-screen, allowing me and Zamara to read his thoughts. What I've seen, I should have seen coming! He betrayed us, Rosemary! He is going to turn us to Valerian! Believe me, well, us!" he pleaded with all his heart and mind, but she was adamant in her beliefs.

" He wouldn't! I've known him for years! He helped me overcome my addictions to practically all the drugs on the market! He loves me or at least respects me to the point that he wouldn't betray me!"

" Wanna bet on that?" Jake asked provokingly, to which Rosemary responded by grabbing him by the collar.

" I've had it with your bullshit Jake! I may be thankful to a certain degree for helping me escape the Gray Tiger but that is it! I don't have to obey you, to believe every word you mutter!"

" **Would you believe his own words then?"** Zamara spoke, surprising the both of them.

" How did you... freaky protoss!" she muttered. " What's that you are blubbering about? His words? What do you mean, you nutjob?" she protested, but was cut short when Jake/Zamara took her by the hand and dragged her to a computer terminal that he/she previously hacked. After getting through the same protocols, they managed to find a transcript of Valerian and Stewart's private conversation, kept as some kind of contract between the two. It was only then that Rosemary let the doubts overcome her deluded reasoning and started to do some digging herself. What pained her the most was the fact that the one whom he refered to as her lover and mentor, to some degree, wanted to sell Ramsey and sumbit her to the neural resocialization process onboard the Gray Tiger. Afterwards he would receive a puppet ripe for modelling, an existence without a solid form, without free will; in short, a slave.

Slamming her fists into a nearby wall, she decided that she had enough. They would have to escape somehow, before Valerian caught up with them. Only problem was, as Zamara underlined earlier, that the palace or mansion or whatever the crime lord liked to call it was a fortress in itself, protected and supervised by elite bands of mercenaries, security cameras, booby traps, automated security and, on top of all, that pesky valet and assassin, Phillip Randall, whose hawk like eyes will surely spot them in less than 5 minutes, no matter what path they would take.

They both sneaked back to their respective quarters, grabbed what they had and made for the underground hangar. Each step was more careful than the previous one, each leap, each knockout blow was precise, as they didn't have room for the slightest mistake. Therefore, it took them an hour to get through to the myriad of corridors, lifts, doors and windows to get to the underground hangars. Luck was with them, it seemed, as Ethan was probably busy meeting with Valerian and his resoc mercs. None of the duo(trio) wished to see them again for a long time!

Alas, the last obstacle was also the most difficult to pass. It was a blast door that could be accessed only by submitting a certain code that only Ethan or Randall knew. Complicated as it may seem on a first glance, after a more careful analysis, they found out that any mistake would immediately trigger an alarm.

Again, it was Zamara that took the initiative. Using whatever knowledge she gained from the crime lord during the time he took off his psi screen, coupling it with what she and Jake gathered while hacking the network and Rosemary's expertise on security and Jake's scientific approach, they managed to enter the incredibly difficult code: "001-23=3/**3ETS/ROSE**!"

" What the heck? Who in the entire Universe would choose such a code for a hangar door, for crying out loud?" Jake asked.

" Someone who is both clever and stupid at the same time. Clever to choose such a password, stupid enough to write it on his left arm!" Rosemary pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

" This means you knew it all along! Why didn't you tell me?"

" I've wanted to see what else you and your friend could achieve. Looks legit by me!" she mused. " Now, let's get on with it!" she pressed on, opening the door to reveal Philip Randall and Ethan Stewart, waiting for them, all smiling, no guards whatsoever.

" What took you so long?" the crime lord asked, then motioned to the valet. " My dear Phillip, would you be so kind as to restrain them? The deal is to be respected after all! he spoke with barely hidden joy and disdain respectfully.

" Of course, my lord!" the valet said before jumping next to the duo.

While Rosemary certainly didn't see that coming, Jake and Zamara did. The centuries long martial arts experience that she now shared with her new host stepped in. The valet tried to land a few blows to the head, stomach and the crotch area, but his unbelievably fast moves were quickly countered by the duo. Jake's response was swift and precise, to the point that they engaged in a full fledged fight.

The valet was amazed by the skill that Jake was showing. He had been informed of the presence of that strange protoss entity inside the scientist's body, but he didn't expect that it would show off like this. Every move that he tried to land on Jake's body was parried and followed up by an attack. No matter where or how fast he tried to hit, Ramsey always found a way to counteract.

On the other hand, Rosemary Dahl and Ethan Stewart were down to a pistol fight, bullets flying all around them as they ducked for cover and jumped and shot, then repeated the process. Actually, they never wanted to hurt one another, but if force was necessary so as to achieve their goals, they wouldn't hesitate to use it; nothing life threatening, of course!

Rosemary turned and fired a few shots at Randall, but only managed to graze his face and shoulder. As always, the tip-top reflexes of the seasoned assassin saved him from a certain death. Now, it was time for him to even the scales. He observed that Jake was getting tired, obviously not being used to the kind of moves that the protoss taught him. Therefore, the valet used sime moves that would force his opponent to consume an ever growing amount of energy to avoid. Step by step, hit by hit, jump by jump, Phillip Randall got Ramsey in a sorry state of exhaustion.

" _Hey there, Zamara! Mind lending me a hand?"_

" Funny! Your protoss friend seems unable to use his mumbo jumbo against me! Too bad, you both are going to be put on ice for a while! Then, on a surgery table with me beside you, ready to dissect! he said, toying with his Balisong knife.

" **You DARE insult the KHALA? For that transgression, you shall pay with your life!"** Zamara spoke with her tone, now taking full control of Jake's body and unleashing a psionic spear attack. The next second, Randall was on his back, dead; braindead, to be more precise. What the protoss preserver just used was a much stronger version of the ghost's mind frying attack.

" Phillip... he is...! Ethan muttered.

" Dead, yes! And you shall follow in his footsteps, should you not surrender! Jake added.

Ethan, seeing a he was surrounded, but secretly hoping that Valerian and/ or his men would reach him shortly, threw his weapon aside and pleaded for his life, stating that he had no choice in the matter, given the fact that the Dominion could have invaded Deadman's Rock if he refused to hand them over.

" Not going to sugarcoat me this time, bastard! Now you will get the three of us onboard that system runner of yours if you don't want a slow, extremely painful death! Dahl threatened him at gun and knife point. Jake was beside her, his eyes flaring with protoss psionic energy.

The crime lord resigned. He couldn't do anything even if he wanted to. As such, he lead them to his private system runner, a customised version actually, with the ability to start and shut down very fast, warp jump, navigator and weapons included. It resembled Matt Horner's former ship, the Cormorant, to some degree.

Once they were onboard however, Rosemary Dahl shot him twice, one bullet in the chest, right above his lungs and another in his right arm and then threw his body on the cold metal floor of the underground hangar.

" And stay there you son of a bitch!" she swore, even crying because of the good memories they've shared before this lowlife kind of betrayal. There was nothing between them now!

" Where to now, Jake, uh, Zamara?" she asked, turning the ship on and opening the hangar doors.

" **Aiur! We need to get to my home planet and retrieve some special crystals from one of the caverns. It's the only way for me and Jake to be safely separated!** she spoke again, careful as to not reveal the secret about Ramsey's rapidly developing brain tumor. If she did not find that crystal and return to Shakuras to get help from the Dark Templar, then both she and him would die as a result.

As they made their escape, they could see that the sky was filled with both Dominion, mercenary and... ZERG flyers fighting each other for supremacy. The battle raged on and drop pods of all three kinds were reaching the surface hastily.

Deadman's Rock would only further the meaning of its suggestive name!

 _ **Hello, my dear readers!**_

 **The story is starting to be interwoven with the Starcraft II universe, although some events will happen inbetween. The Argonauts, even with Admiral Andronic's sympathy towards Raynor, are still not prepared to trust the Raiders. Their relationship is that of cobelligerence(common enemy, minimal reciprocal help). The future battle of Braxis will reveal if they can or cannot trust each other completely.**

 **As usual, I am open to suggestions via** **PM** **or** **reviews** **. Do not be afraid to** **speak your mind, my fellow Starcraft fans!**

 _ **Please**_ _ **follow**_ _ **or**_ _ **favorite**_ _ **the story if you like it ;). Seeing it being read gives me the determination to continue writing.**_

 _ **Have a nice day!**_


	10. 10: Unexpected intrusions

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own Starcraft, nor do I make a profit from any activity relating with the franchise.

 **Author's note:** _ **First, I would like to thank all my readers for viewing my fanfiction! It is always great to see that people appreciate your work! :)) If you would be so kind as to give your opinion about this story, I would appreciate it. If it got you interested, you can always follow it! ;)**_

 _ **Still, I liked both the game and the story very much. Thus I felt I should develop part of it in a new way. The UED fascinated me and the perspective of a terran remnant group, light years away from Earth, with no chance of going back and having to confront an entire sector seemed to be a good starting point for a story involving both the original characters and some new, unique ones. I will try to stick to the original story as best as I can. However, remember that this is a fanficiton and not everything must go according to the letter.**_

 **Chapter 10:** _ **Unexpected intrusions**_

 _Deadman's Rock, a zerg attack got everybody on the run._

Admiral Marcu Andronic of the Argonauts was astonished to see that the zerg have returned. He didn't prepare for a fight with the annoyingly murderous creatures and wasn't really intent on engaging them until he was. Scanners indicated that the zerg task force amounted to around 500000 specimens, most of them flyers, but also ground units, in the form of zerglings, hydralisks and a few ultralisks. The Dominion and the local mercenaries were fighting hard to repel the ever growing numbers of the critters.

" Josef, I want to know where the heck are they being reinforced from! We won't be able to escape at this rate!" he ordered. He was alarmed, as his fleet was short of one vital ship: the Moonreaver, which left the other day, leaving the Decebalus, the Gladius, the Lancaster and the two Scorpio class battlecruisers- the Atlantic and the Burgas- plus the other 6 minotaur class, new ones that they built some time ago back in the Solaris System.

" On it sir!" the deputee officer answered and started tracing the zerg flyers, calculating their place of origin and their trajectory. " Sir, it seems that they are heading for Ethan Stewart's Palace, as you previously said. As for where they are coming from, scanners indicate two immense organisms far in space, protected by a rather sturdy escort. We will need to either cleanup the flyers or take down one of the monsters! It's your call!"

" This will not be my call alone! I want you's guys to hail the other ten captains. I will need their opinion on this subject as well. I won't get into a fight with the zerg just like that. I am accountable for your very lives and future, you know?" he added, before turning towards the holo-table.

5 minutes later, all of the captains have joined the meeting on the screen. Obviously, they voiced their concerns as to what kind of approach they were to take. Neither of the two choices was looking good, but they had to come to a conclusion. The commanders of the Scorpio and minotaur cruisers stated that their ships were built for engaging waves of flyers, not monsters the sizes of small moons. The Lancaster, the Decebalus and the Gladius, however, had a more advanced yamato cannon and concentrated laser batteries which allowed them to take on stronger opponents.

Not at all surprisingly, Mira Han and Black Knife entered the conversation immediately after the last of the arguments were voiced.

" Mr Andronic, we need your help in steming the zerg invasion. What can you do on your part?" Mira asked.

" Funny! I was about to ask you the same thing. Still, we are trying to figure out the best strategy. Can you lend us any help?"

" I might have four cruisers and a lot of wraiths, plus a few vikings. Can you do something with that?"

" Now that you've mentioned it, I will take our combined forces to space and destroy their mobile, living spaceport, or whatever this huge thing is!" he said, giving her the image of the gigantic zerg flyer. " Then you won't have to worry about them getting any reinforcements! Do we have an agreement?"

" Incredibly risky, daring, yet practicly fighting the enemy in the unknown... I think I like your style! Fine, I will go along your plan. My air forces are yours to command!" she stated and then shut down the conversation on her part. Only Black Knife remained.

" Admiral Andronic, I have information that Prince Valerian is leading the Dominion expedition that tried to capture Ethan Stewart. He doesn't seem to know that you are here and there's no reason to make your presence known to him. Still, on behalf of the Umojan Protectorate, I ask you to rescue his forces from the zerg onslaught!"

" Wow-wow-wow-wow-wow! Hold it right there! Why do I, I mean we, have to save Mengsk's son, anyway? He is nothing but a spoiled brat, incapable of doing anything right. It was bad enough that Angelina Emilian and her confederates weren't able to terminate both him and his mother and father!" Andronic commented. Shortly after, he was raised into the air by a mysterious force and was being slowly choked.

" Don't you ever say that! His mother, Juliana Pasteur, is in fact the opposite of Arcturus Mengsk. She was a high ranking umojan official that was caring both to her people and to her family. Being a sworn pacifist, she despised war and all its derivates. Seeing as she was the one that gave Valerian his education, it is safe to assume- and we have proven that to be a fact- that Valerian is more of a umojan than a dominion citzen. His relationship with his father is rather cold, except when the protocol or interest demands a closer bond. Even his archeological projects are somehow kept in check by Arcturus!"

By now the choke reached a new level. With Esmeralda nowhere in sight for some reason, he had to break this confrontation somehow. Concentrating as much as he could on freeing himself, Andronic used all the willpower that he had. His whole being hurt more with each second, but he could feel a small spark that kept growing. Finally, Black Knife was pushed back a few meters and he was forced to release the Admiral. The shadowguard was amazed by what just happened and could not explain it.

" Ce maica măsii s-o întâmplat? Ferească Sfântul! (WTF just happened? God save me!) Andronic said, still shaken but no less surprised.

„ Was that a psionic push?" asked Josef while looking at his commander. He then sent a mental message to Esmeralda so as to get her here as soon as possible.

It took about three minutes for everybody around there to recover from the recent shock. In that time, Esmeralda also made her appearence. She looked pretty concerned.

„ Father, is there something wrong?"

„ Nu, nu, nu! it's just, I've...

„ He pushed me three meters by using his willpower!" Black Knife answered in his place.

„ What? But that means you've got...

„ Psionic powers? He most certainly does! I've unwittingly awoken them by gripping him by the neck! However, they need to be professionally assesed and kept in check. There's no telling if they will recede or increase in the future!" the shadowguard explained, but was sent flying into the wall behind him by the „ Rainbow Vixen".

Andronic, having recovered from his particular state of reverie, felt he needed to save the damn umojan. So he intervened:

„ Ok, we'll see what we can do about the prince. What about Braxis? Do you have some details on the target and plan we agreed upon?"

„ Yes! I will send them to you now. You will have to break this zerg blockade to escape though. Good luck and have a safe journey!" he said, logging out.

They did receive the inquired data in less than three minutes. They then had another short talk about the details of the plan. Reluctantly, all of them agreed that, now that they had Mira's Marauders on their side, it was better to deal with the gigantic zerg first.

The combined Argonaut- merc fleet began its flight out of the atmosphere. Their target was obvious. On the other hand, Andronic sent an elite task force comprised of Esmeralda, her ghosts and the Spartan Company, among others, in order to secure Ethan Stewart's domain( and the crime lord and dominion prince, while at it)

 _Aboard the battlecruiser Gray Tiger, head of the dominion expeditionary force._

A tall, seemingly imposing figure, all clad in a ceremonial metal armor, with decorations and ornaments to go with it. Blond, shoulder lenght hair, grey eyes and what would some call a perfect face. Indeed, to most of the ladies in the Terran Dominion, crown prince Valerian Mengsk was handsome and all but a few of them never wished to live with him. He had charisma on his part, intelligence as well, but, as opposed to his father, he was gentle in nature, a quality inheritted from his caring mother. Arcturus always tried to remake him into a copy of himself, yet he wasn't able to achieve much in that direction. One thing that Valerian learned from his father was determination, coupled with a bit of arrogance, nothing more.

„ Prince Valerian- general Jerome said-, we need to abort this mission! The zerg will overwhelm us if we don't pull out of here!"

Looking at the starmap, the prince could see that the ever growing waves of zerg flyers have begun their descent. His battlecruisers and fighters succesfully engaged most of them, but the constant enemy reinforcements meant that his troops's heroics will not matter in the long run. He had to retrieve Jake Ramsey and Rosemary Dahl as soon as possible, with or without their consent. They could not realise it, but he was their only way out of this mess.

„ I refuse! For now, it seems that the situation is manageble! Therefore, I see no point in aborting the mission just yet! Send some drop pods down to mr Stewart's domain and see what you can find out about our fugitives. In the meantime, keep an eye out for any transports that may try to leave Deadman's Rock. They may be stowing away or commandeering one, for all that we now!

„ Understood, your highness!"

„ _Damnit Jake! What made you run away? Was it the protoss or something else? I really need to find out about your discoveries!"_ the prince thought to himself and then went to his rooms to enjoy a moment of peace.

All around the dominion battle group, thousands upon thousands of mutalisks, corruptors, brood lords, scourges, overlords and what else were swarming the polluted skies of Deadman's Rock. Laser shots, rocket volleys, bullets, both from Paradise's AA grids and Valerian's air force managed to somehow contain the zerg rush. What they didn't manage to shot down were the drop pods. No matter how careful or meticulous one may prove to be, those things were just too fast to be destroyed all at once. Part of them will always reach their target. Now, if there wasn't anybody to kill its contents right away, they may have a zerg infestation on their hands.

 _Ethan Stewart's underground hangar, a few minutes earlier._

Jake Ramsey and Rosemary Dahl comandeered the customised system runner that Stewart was „ happy to provide". Going through the ship's specifics more carefully than last time, the merc girl noticed that it also posessed a cloaking device and 4 long lasting, fully charged batteries to go with it. That was going to be their ticket out of here.

„ Why would the zerg come here too? This is something totally unexpected!" Jake pondered.

„ Must be that protoss girl in your head. Seems like she's getting a lot of attention from all the major players in the K. sector!" Rosemary answered. To her surprise, the protoss preserver, Zamara, didn't talk back, meaning that there was some truth to what she just said.

„ **I only pray that you are wrong, youngling! If that I am indeed whom they are after, then we may be in a more dangerous situation than before. We must make haste!"**

„ Sure! Just give me a minute to work my magic on this here's pilot board and we will have liftoff, she said, activating all the ship's systems and running a diagnostics check. Sighing, relieved that, for once, her former lover kept his toys in good condition, she turned the engines on and, after 10 minutes, steered the ship out of the hangar. As they gained speed, the cloaking device came online and Zamara concealed her psionic emanations, in order to stay under the radar of both races.

Whatever doubts about Rosemary's piloting skills were gone by now. The gruff mercenary girl managed to dodge laser fire, rockets, zerg, terran flyers and make her way towards space. Looking back for a few seconds, she spotted fifteen battlecruisers of unknown origin leave Deadman's Rock's atmosphere. Their destination seemed to be one of the gigantic zerg organisms looming over the planet menacingly.

„ Idiots! What could they be thinking? I'm just happy that I made it out of there! They must be out of their minds!" she spoke.

„ They may be fools, but they are brave nonetheless!" Ramsey nodded in agreement. „ They seem pretty organised too!" he conceded.

„ _**They have honour for that part. I certainly wish to help them in this endeavour, but I am bound to you and I cannot do so. Let us proceed!"**_ Zamara told them telepathicly, using Jake to input Aiur's coordinates.

 _Back on the Gray Tiger, Valerian's quarters._

The crown prince tried to calm his nerves by reading books from his beloved domain: history and archeology, the latter especially. He was very interested by any artifact of foreign origin. After studying many ruins across the Koprulu Sector with the aid of his scientific expedition, he learned about a fourth race that once inhabitted those places. It was what the protoss called Xel'Naga. The khalai referred to them as gods, creators of the Universe and guardians of some balance that he had yet to understand. Impressive as it may seem, his knowledge on the subject was vast, yet minor, in comparison with what the protoss probably posessed in their anceint libraries and in the mind of those called „ preservers". One such specimen was uncovered by Jake Ramseu, one of his most trusted and skilled field researchers. Sadly, something happened inbetween their meeting before his descent and Jake's and Rosemary's departure from the Gray Tiger. He lost contact with them and when it was reestablished, they were chased at gunpoint, being accused of murder, mutiny and what else by the dominion troops under his command. He was informed that Ramsey had been somehow posessed by the strange protoss and had gone mad, taking the merc girl with him on his escape. Such information was rather dubious, but he had nothing to counter it with and needed to speak with the both of them.

Suddenly, his communicator started beeping at an alarming rate. It was the captain calling.

„ Yes captain, what is so urgent that you need to disturb me?"

„ My apologies, you highness but you need to see this right away! Please come to the bridge ASAP!" the captain said respectfully.

„ Very well, this had better be important!: Valerian told him. „ I will be there in a minute!"

Not losing another second, the prince began his walk towards the deck. He wasn't running, but he wasn't dragging his feet either. He had to keep up a composture, after all.

The doors hissed open and he stepped into the room, finding that all his officers were just sitting there, watching the big holo-screen.

„ Glad you could make it, sir! You may want to look at this!" the deputee officer stated, with her voice as low as a hummingbird.

Up until recently, their air forces were taking a pounding at the hands of the zerg. Their ground forces weren't doing any much better. Not one of their goals has been achieved yet and it seemed that they were not far from being overrun on both fronts. The secondary screens were overflowing with reports of mysterious soldiers cleaning up the city of Paradise. Ghosts, marines, firebats, even marauders were doing quite a good job, by the looks of it. There was another numerous goliath company that operated with improved machines. Their mechs managed to take down waves of mutalisks and scourges, giving his small fleet a much needed breathing space.

„ Who are they?" the prince asked.

„ We do not know yet. It would seem that that ghost in the purple suit is leading the bunch. She is very skilled, almost as good as our Nova Terra, your highness! But that's not all!" the captain added with emotion in his voice.

As Valerian raised an eyebrow, the deputee officer intervened:

„ You should take good look above us, your highness! You might be surprised by what our scanners indicated!"

The prince made his way to the windows and stared into deep space. He spied upon the battlefield, trying to figure out what they were talking about. It didn't take him long to notice the 15 battlecruisers that cleaved their way towards one of the zerg giants.

„ I don't know who that is but he is certainly doing us a favor! Do not shoot at him or the ground forces. Just stay focused on our mission for now!"

„ _I only hope that we could find them in time before my father or anyone else gets their hands on them!_ he thought to himself, not realizing that Jake and Rosemary were just above them, leaving the atmosphere. Nor did he realise that Zamara caught that trail of thought.

The protoss preserver was perplexed by the prince's thoughts, but they could not afford to wait and see what his real intentions were. Right now, they began their journey to Aiur, secretly hoping that the zerg have left the planet in the last three years.

 _Space above Deadman's Rock, aboard one of the zerg space ships, named „ Leviathans"_

Sarah Kerrigan was personally supervising the invasion of Deadman's Rock and the capture of that strange terran/protoss hybrid she sensed not long ago on the appearently lifeless world of Nemaka. A very powerful, yet fading protoss signature drew her and the zerg to that rock like moths to a light bulb. When she got there, she could sense the presence no more. Instead, she felt that it had somehow merged with a terran, creating a most interesting specimen that she would love to dissect and analyze. So would her creepy, unbelievably smart scientist, Abathur, the one who made her what she was now.

The queen's chamber in the Leviathan had eerie, green and yellow lights. The walls, the floor, the roof, the doors, everything was made out of pure flesh, well, whatever the zerg called it. Creep was there too, so those onboard may survive in the cold, lifeless reaches of space that lay between the planets.

She felt the power she had over the Swarm and over the entire Koprulu sector. She had no rival, for she was the Queen of Blades, ruler of the zerg and menace of the protoss and terrans. Still, some distant thought kept bugging her. It was as if some kind of threat was looming over not only her head, but over the entire universe. She didn't know the origin of that particular thought, but it just won't go away. on top of that, a last directive from the Overmind beckoned her to prepare the Swarm for some imminent invasion, one of the likes she had not seen or fought before. That couldn't have been the UED invasion, for that was too easy of a nuisance to deal with. Some good old fashioned manipulation and careful strategy took out the best the Earth had to sent against her. Granted, she had to give some credit to James Raynor, her former love, who really believed that she was back after the death of the Overmind. Turning his feelings against him was easy. Strangely, she could not bring herself to kill the man. Was it for his naivity? His apparent love for her? There was a small force in her mind that kept her at bay when he was around; her last bit of humanity. From there, everything went fairly smooth. She approached the dark templar matriarch, Raszagal for help, claiming redemption. Silently and with a true artist's grace, she bound the protoss leader of Shakuras to her will, therefore gaining the support of Zeratul and Fenix. Mengsk had a role to play too. She obviously and nonchallantly discarded them when they reached the end of their usefulness. Fenix died and so did Edmund Duke, Raynor fled with his Raiders and Mengsk wasn't with his main forces, regretably. However, the most peculiar ally of hers was Samir Duran, former confederate lieutenant fighting for the UED, and one of the very few succesful infested terrans in the Swarm. His help had proven invalueble in more than a few battles and she came to rely on his help. But, as mysteriously as he apeeared, so did he disappear in the heat of the main battle above Char. She and her only loyal cerebrate faced off the combined firepower of the UED, Dominion and Protoss fleets, eventually destroying them or forcing them to retreat, thus gaining supremacy. One thing she really enjoyed was giving the UED a head start to retreat and then setting a trap for them on their way back from Earth. Almost 100 battlecruisers and their adiacent fighters have been thoroughly decimated by her scourges, corruptors and mutalisks. Whatever scoundrels managed to land on nearby planets were quickly hunted down and consumed. And, with that, the earthlings were taught a lesson in manners.

The queen fell to her knees, great pain striking her head like a thousand spikes. She was utterly confused by this sudden event. What could have happened in such a short time? The terrans certainly didn't have the firepower to beat her back. If by some unbelievable divine grace, they had it in them, they were lacking in organisation. Her eyes went wide after she exited her room and headed to her Leviathan's head. That spot offered her a perfect perspective of the battlefield. Was it not for the fact that her psionic index reached 12 and she could practically feel every zeg organism under her command, she wouldn't believe that her other „space ship" was about to die.

„ Who dares incur the Queen of Blade's wrath?" she asked and the entire ship shook because of her voiced anger.

„ My Queen, unknown terran faction allied with mercenary groups have attacked the other leviathan. They seem to be well organised!" Izsha, her zerg version of an adjutant, spoke.

„ Then release all the flyers we have! i won't stand and have this mockery of a leader make fun of me!" she ordered with a fierce tone in her voice, before she got back to her rooms.

 _The Decebalus's deck, a few minutes prior to the Queen of Blades's headache._

„ Alright, I want us to keep a spaced formation. I want to avoid any possible collisions and we also need to maneuver, once we hit the beast with all our might!" Andronic ordered. The immense zerg organism was spitting some kind of eggs that evolved into mutalisks and scourges. On top of that, it posessed pretty long tentacles that would surely do some unforgettable damage to his fleet if they won't be take great care.

After the battlecruises distanced from one another to the point that they had more than enough space for themselves, they performed a short distance warp jump, coming into the range of the enemy „spaceship".

„ All batteries, concentrate your firewpower on the roots of the tentacles. With some good luck and marksmenship, we could cut them off pretty easily! Also, launch 80% of the fighters. Tell them to keep the smaller zerg flyers from hitting us!" the Admiral added.

The zerg certainly didn't expect this sneak attack. They were in disarray, but he knew better than to relish in his victory. The critters were famous for their rather quick battlefield adaptability and he wasn't stupid enough to throw away his advantages.

Vikings, valkyries, wraiths of all kinds, models and colours took to space, making mincemeat out of the zerg waves. The H. . rockets made short work of the scourges, while the vikings took down the mutas and the wraiths shot down any corruptor or overlord that got in the way. Good thing they packed a damn lot of ammo, for they really needed it.

The zerg spaceship recovered from the shock and used its tentacles to smash around 20 unlucky vikings to pieces. A few wraiths followed soon after. The other Argonaut and mercenary captains started worrying and Andronic had to find a way to bring the pain to the enemy.

„ Nice job guys! We got them softened up! I want to all of the cruisers to unleash their Yamato cannons on the son of a bitch! Disintegrate the beast!" he ordered with much determination in his voice, therefore raising the morale of his warriors and allies.

Not a second later, the captains began shouting their own orders to their officers. The cruisers got into position, aiming for the organism's head and middle. The blasts followed soon after, bringing unimaginable destruction upon the enemy. The spaceship was ripped in two, with more than 70% turned into a bloody, useless pulp. The laser batteries and the rockets took out whatever remained of it, dealing a serious blow to the zerg Swarm and shattering its ranks for now.

„ Sir, the other zerg mothership kinda thing is turning towards us! What should we do?" asked Josef all worried.

„ Easy! We take out whatever flyers we still have around us, then make our way towards the planet and link up with the other forces. I believe they won't fire us, seeing as we just saved them the trouble of fighting half of the invasion force!" Andronic said calmly.

And that is what they did next. After 15 more minutes of clearing a pathway to the planet, they recalled the fighters for repair, restock and refuel. They then rewired the power to their enignes and shields and took the ships down to the surface, keeping ahead of the lumbering monster that was on their tails.

 _The dominion battlecruiser Gray Tiger, head of the task force._

General Jerome insisted on keeping the prince on the bridge, as it offered the best perspective of the battlefield. The ground forces were making progress in their fight to purge the zerg and reach Stewart's domain, but the zerg were fighting fiercely and were getting constant reinforcements. That made his job a little bit harder and even with prince Valerian's good nature and patience, he couldn't risk prolong the operation if it proved to be pointless. The ghosts they sent reported that there wasn't any protoss presence on the planet. Scanners indicated that fights were still raging across the crime lord's domain, but no trace of the fugitives whatsoever.

Valerian feared the worst. The duo( or trio) could be either dead or next to death. They may very well have escaped the planet somehow and warp jumped to a random location, where they were to lay low for a while. There was also the small possibilty that they have been captured by the zerg and taken aboard one of their giant „ vessels".

„ Sir look! That merc force obbliterated the giant zerg and is making its way towards us! Shall we open fire on them?"

„ Open fire on our unexpected saviour? It would be rather foolish and rude of me to do that, general!" the prince commented. „ No, I want us to provide them with cover fire until they reach the relative safety of the planetary defences. We will then proceed as the situation dictates it, am I understood?"

„ Yes, your highness!" the general bowed and got to work directing their forces.

The unknown battlecruiser force was closing in real fast and the zerg were not that far behind them. Seems like the critters didn't take lightly to losing one of their gigantic „ ships" to a mere terran force. All the better, prince Valerian thought. Perhaps he could somehow persuade those guys to work for him in the future.

 _Esmeralda's perspective._

She had been fighting the zerg forces for a while now. Street by street, quadrant by quadrant, her troops were gaining ground against the critters in what could be called an amazing operation. At the forefront of the attack was her and her ghost regiment, Penumbra. They sniped all the dangerous targets from afar, paving the road for the waves of marines, medics and firebats. Right after them came the goliath combat walkers, both Argonaut and Spartan in origin. The mechs were adept at taking out flyers with their long range Lanzer torpedoes. Add to that the fact that all such UED machines were equiped with Charon Boosters and any brood lord, overlord mutalisk and what else would be running for his mama. On top of that, the autocannons were no joke either. They could easily mow down zergs, hydralisks, even those new creatures called roaches.

Dodging a hydralisk spine, Esmeralda used her psionics to crush the damned animal into a crumbling building, destroying it altogether. She then proceeded to hunt any stragglers, accompanied by her 40 ghost operatives.

„ Thank God for those Hekate class suits!" she made a mental note to herself. The energy cells were very useful for a prolongued conflict. But it was the anti-gravity device that gave them an edge in a fight with most if not all enemies. The ability to lower the gravity in a certain area for about five minutes allowed them to escape impossible fights, traverse great obstacles or confuse enemies.

So she jumped, or, better said, floated in mid air and shot whatever lay beneath her. So did her other ghosts. Leading by example certainly had its advantages, both in terms of morale and personal gratification!

Resistence was getting fiercer the closer they got to the crime lord's domain. Using her magnifying goggles to spy ahead. It seemed as if most of the mercenary groups pulled back to the mansion, and even there they were taking heavy casualties. That only meant that the zerg were looking for something( or someone) that resided in that lavishly decorated building.

Her battle group had begun to take casualties. A few of the goliaths were to brave for their own health and followed three brood lords so as to destroy them. Instead, they were overwhelmed by large groups of burrowed zerglins and hydralisks. Also, there were the unavoidable marine and firebat casualties and accidents, but all of those were still acceptable. Ammo was still plentiful, although it had decreased tremendously and she ordered them not to shoot blindly.

Three roaches were on their way towards her and no one was around to help her. A worthy challenge, fair enough. She aimed for the closest one and pulled the trigger.

*click*click*click*

„ You've got to be fu**ing kidding me! she said throwing her weapon aside. It had no more than four bullets in the magazine and even so it jammed in the middle of the fight. That's what you get when you do some after-market mods on your toys!

So, an unorthodox measure was required. She closed her eyes, concetrating her psionic power into her hands. Small sparks of energy appeared and started growing, to the point that they were twice her size. She then opened her flaming red eyes and sent the psi lightnings at the incoming roaches. They got caught into the energy net, unable to escape. Life was literraly seeping through their carapace. And so, they were beaten, no bullets used at all.

Proud of herself, the „ Rainbow Vixen" requisitioned one of the merc canister rifles. Lucky for her, it was a modern model, so the ammo was compatible. She was soon joined by her other ghosts who had finally secured the perimeter. After receiving their damage report and asessing the situation, Esmeralda ordered half of her forces, and that included all the goliaths, to remain outside, while she, 30 ghosts and part of the marines, medics and firebats entered the building.

Inside they found a total mess. The floor, the walls, the ceiling, every room and everything had been given a rough shake. Bullet holes, terran and zerg remains were splattered all across every possible place.

„ The damned insects sure did a number on this place! Be on your toes people, as we are not alone here!" she told them and moved past the wall of marine bodies that „ guarded" the top stairway to the second floor.

Sweeping through the corridors, they encountered more than a few zerglings and hydralisks, nothing too complicated to take out of the picture. What worried her, however, was the fact that the crime lord and his guards were nowhere to be seen. That could only mean that they retreated somewhere.

The best way to deal with this situation was to hack into the palace's network and watch the surveillance footage from a few hours ago until now: skippingly, of course( no one would have the patience or time to look through them carefully). Finding a terminal wasn't too difficult, neither was getting into the network and finding the footage. It seemed like whoever was in charge with the security was either awful at his job, or was betraying Stewart. She was inclined to believe the latter. She pressed the „ fast forward" button and witnessed what happened a few hours before.

A strange mercenary girl and her friend, a scientist or researcher by the looks of it, had an argument about the same crime lord's intentions. The guy was very skeptical about him, even hostil, one might say. Also, he kept citing some kind of protoss presence in his head, calling him or her _Zamara_ and claiming that it could read minds, which was kinda freaky. Protoss never shared their abilities with terrans and from what she could tell, it was impossible to merge the two races like that. Gestalts were totally different from this „ Jake Ramsey" and their abilities didn't work this way. Nevertheless, they ended their conflict and made their way towards an underground hangar, where they were greeted by the crime lord and his dangerous bodyguard, Phillip Randall. She almost forgot about him. He too was nowhere around. A fight ensued, the crime lord and his former girlfriend engagin in a gun fight, while the other two started their own martial arts deathmatch competition. When the valet finally managed to get the upper hand, that Jake Ramsey unleashed some kind of psionic attack, or protoss origin, obviously, which instantly killed his enemy. Ethan Stewart was blackmailed into giving them his ship and was then shot in the chest and right shoulder and left to die on the hangar floor, while they made their escape in the ensuing chaos. A few minutes later, a team of merc medics reached him and took him to the nearest medbay, where they began to treat his gunshot wounds. After that, the zerg barged into the mansion, but them security teams managed to keep them at bay. There was no other security footage. It was either deleted or the system was shut down at that time. Both situation seemed very strange.

Seeing as she had no other choice, she liberated the credit deposits, requisitioning no less than 180000 credits for the Argonauts, and reunited with her other half of the forces. Strangely, the zerg ground and air forces were pulling out faster than one would imagine.

„ Commander, it's me! We secured the mansion but there's no trace of the crime lord. We found some very interesting information amongst the data disks. I am sure you would like to see it as soon as possible!" she reported to Andronic on her official tone.

„ Acknowledged! Proceed with the sweeping operation while I send the Lancaster and some shuttles to retrieve you and your forces! Commander out!" Andronic answered likewise.

 _Onboard the Queen of Blades's Leviathan._

The leader of the Zerg Swarm was practically fuming. Her anger reached new levels, for she had never been humiliated like this. Losing a battle to a ragtag band of mercenaries that somehow got mingled with the Dominion. Her prize managed to escape her cluthces, even though her zerg were right behind them. She watched through a mutalisk's eyes as the system runner left the hangar and cloaked itself. Obviously, they then avoided combat and warped to a random location. Even so, that didn't stop her from invading the crime lord's domain. The place was bound to contain some evidence of the route the duo would take, or at least of their intentions. That is when her forces stormed the mansion, made their way through the elite, fanatical, merc defenders, until they reached the aforementioned underground hangar. Empty, of course, the place didn't offer many clues. However, three of her hunter-killers found a rather infamous crime lor who would certainly hold valueble information inside his precious head. Strangely, she couldn't read his mind. That usually meant that she was dealing with psionically gifted people. It cost her 100 overlords that acted as a fleshy shield, in order for the hunter killers and their pray to safely retreat to her Leviathan.

When the transport reached „ the hangar" , Kerrigan went to her geneticist's evolution chamber. The creepy, spider-like creature that gave her her infested form would have to perform the process once more, albeit on a different person.

„ Queen wishes to speak? Must mean something important is at hand!" his cold voice spoke, as he descended from two floors above, careful not to drop any eggs or „ sequences" as he called them. Big green, yellow, red and purple tissues, claws, spikes, eggs, liquids, creatures of all kind, most of which were either dead or soon to be, littered the entire chamber. A mad scientist's lab indeed!

„ I do! We will be having a very important guest. He might be posessing psionic power and I think you know what that means, don't you?" she asked with a grin.

„ It means I've got new essence to add to the Swarm. Infestation mandatory!"

„ That's what I've thought. I'll send him to you right away!" she added and then left for the „ hangar".

A cocoon of sorts, the size of a man, was being hold by one of her hunter-killer hydralisks, while the other two beasts fell in line behind him. The Queen of Blades mentally ordered them to take it to thge evolution chamber and then went on to order a very shameful retreat, although she promised herself that once she finds that protoss/terran hybrid, she would return in full force and take a much needed, sweet tasting, revenge.

 _The Decebalus's deck, shortly after the last Leviathan „ warp jumped"._

„ Woohohohoooooo! We just beat the Queen Bitch of the Universe!" cheered Josef and high-fived with all officers on deck at that moment.

Andronic wiped the sweat form his forehead and brought himself to smile. That could have been much, much worse. If Kerrigan wasn't after whatever she was after, then they would probably dead by now, or at least running for their lives. He had seen her fip battlecruisers to bits with just her psionics, not to talk about her leading a frontal attack on Augustgrad and literally slicing through their defenses with her claws and blade wings. He had hoped that she could be avoided, at least until he had built up a sizeable, powerful fleet, to have by his side in a fight with the terrifying nightmare that was the zerg. She would undoubtedly return in full force next time and he could only hope that he and his Argonauts will be prepared.

„ Sir, why do you look as if we've just lost? We kicked her arse for God's sake!" Josef shook him from his distant thoughts.

„ If only that were truly so! I fear that this is only the beginning! We might be seeing more of this monster in the future. But you are right, we may as well celebrate!" the Admiral answered with a growing smile on his lips, although his worries couldn't be completly hidden from sight.

They opened up bottles of champaigne, wines of all sorts, and all of them drank in honour of their victory, wishing each other the best. Not a minute later, Esmeralda bursted through the doors and went on to hug her father and kiss Josef, before she too took her glass of french champaigne. The other captains joined the party via holo-screen and they all had a good time for the next 10 minutes, until they were interrupted by an unknown video call.

„ Ah, mama ei de treabă! Nu se poate bucura omul de moment!(What the hell, can't one man enjoy his moment?)" Andronic swore, before he laid down his glass and retook his composure. Who is the caller and what does he want?"

Josef searched through the community clearence files, while Esmeralda tried to hack into the signalling vessel's database to find out who it was. It didn't take long for the pair to identify the respective ship as the Gray Tiger, headed by none other than crown prince Valerian Mengsk. Evidently, Andronic chose not to show his face around the prince, for he might connect the dots with what had happened to New Sydney. Apart from that, keeping your identity secret from your second worst enemy's son seems like a good idea at the moment.

As such, Marcu Andronic removed his proud UED captain's coat and replaced it with a casual one, no decorations or insignias whatsoever. Also, he donned his favorite mask, one which resembled a red scorpion and a blue cobra, locked together in eternal combat. He told the other officers to stay out of sight or at least go about their business without showing their colors or anything else. So, in about five minutes, the image of Valerian Mengsk finally patched through a secured, non traceable server, guarded by Esmeralda herself.

" Salutations, mercenary commander! I am crown prince Valerian Mengsk and I wish to express my profound gratitude for helping us fight the zerg back!" the royal began his speech.

" Indeed, you would have lost that battle, were it not for our immediate help. Tell me, crown prince, why is the Queen of Blades after you? Or, better yet, what was she looking for down in Ethan Stewart's mansion?" Andronic spoke with a somewhat different voice, undoubtedly trying to hide as much about himself as possible.

" Very well, since me and my subjects are indebted to you, I shall enlighten you! We were tracking one of my scientists. He encountered what we call a protoss "preserver", practically a living database of their people. By some means we do not know, the two beings merged and have gone rogue, aided in their escape by a very capable mercernary woman. Me and my forces tried to subdue them, but we were unable to do so. We tracked them to Deadman's Rock, where they sought refuge under mr. Ethan Stewart. I arranged for a meeting with him, but that is when the zerg arrived. I believe they managed to escape in the ensuing chaos!" the prince confessed, much to Andronic's surprise, as he got the mental confirmation from Esmeralda that Mengsk's son was telling the truth.

" That may be so. But tell me _ **your highness**_ , what is the true reason behind calling us?" Andronic pressed on, a bit ironic by the way.

" You are resourceful indeed, commander...

" Tamasino!" Andronic answered with a nickname.

" Commander Tamasino, as I have stated, you have proven yourself to be quite the leader. Taking out the zerg like that certainly impressed me, to say the least. What do you say? Would you care to work for me?" Valerian asked with a winner's grin on his face.

 _ **Hello, my dear readers!**_

 **The situation is getting more complicated with each passing day.**

 **Schnitt left for the Solaris System and the formerly kel-morian troops might get into conflict with their UED coleagues.**

 **Raynor left to gather the rest of his Raiders for the imminent invasion of Braxis, for which they would act as scouts and bait.**

 **Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades, wants to get her claws on Jake Ramsey and Zamara, but Marcu Andronic's quick and precise intervention turned her back, for the moment. She won't forgive the terran for this, even if she doesn't know who he really is.**

 **Valerian Mengsk, driven by his natural curiosity and scholar atitude, wanted to gather as much knowledge as possible. He doesn't wish to hurt Jake or Rosemary or Zamara, but an unknown force working with him or behind his back isn't so sympathetic. Seeing as the mysterious mercenary force( the Argonauts) saved his task force, he is seriously considering hiring them for this endeavor.**

 _ **Many thanks to**_ _ **warchief**_ _ **for discussing future updates via PM. It really helps me to know other people's expectations and opinions, for it may very well help me lay down the next chapter's scenario!**_

 **As usual, I am open to suggestions via** **PM** **or** **reviews** **. Do not be afraid to** **speak your mind, my fellow Starcraft fans!**

 _ **Please**_ _ **follow**_ _ **or**_ _ **favorite**_ _ **the story if you like it ;). Seeing it being read gives me the determination to continue writing.**_

 _ **Have a nice day!**_


	11. 11: Mission Impossible

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own Starcraft, nor do I make a profit from any activity relating with the franchise.

 **Author's note:** _ **First, I would like to thank all my readers for viewing my fanfiction! It is always great to see that people appreciate your work! :)) If you would be so kind as to give your opinion about this story, I would appreciate it. If it got you interested, you can always follow it! ;)**_

 _ **Still, I liked both the game and the story very much. Thus I felt I should develop part of it in a new way. The UED fascinated me and the perspective of a terran remnant group, light years away from Earth, with no chance of going back and having to confront an entire sector seemed to be a good starting point for a story involving both the original characters and some new, unique ones. I will try to stick to the original story as best as I can. However, remember that this is a fanficiton and not everything must go according to the letter.**_

 **Chapter 11:** _ **Mission Impossible**_

" Hmph! Why would I work with you? Your troops are more pathetic than I could have imagined!" Tamasino (Marcu Andronic) mocked him.

Being a true politician, crown prince Valerian Mengsk knew how to respond to such messages.

" Perhaps. If so, why wouldn't you lend us your evidently considerable expertise, captain Tamasino? Or is it that you are just bragging about your skills?"

" _Ouch! The guy sure knows how to get to other people's heads right away. Tickle someone's pride, and he would most surely eat from your palm, so to say!"_ Tamasino thought, but he wasn't a pushover. If the prince needed his help, then the royalty will obey his terms, not the other way around. Who knows? Maybe he might take advantage of the situation, that is, if he managed to keep their identities hidden. After what would probably happen on Braxis in the near future, their secret would undoubtedly be found by the Dominion. Either way, it was going to end up unpleasent.

" So what? You want me to take part in your search for the missing pair/trio? I could, however, since I am particularly busy at the moment, I will not be able to join your forces for a while."

" In fact I do! Having more eyes to look with and more hands to search with certainly is appealing. May I ask why do you wish to do this separately?" Valerian asked with prying eyes.

" _Careful, father! He hides his thoughts too well for me to read them!"_ Esmeralda warned him telepathicly.

" A mercenary's secret, your highness!"

" How fitting! May I remind you that I am able to pay double the sum you would probably earn, mr Tamasino?"

" You can, but it doesn't matter. When I sign a contract, I keep to it; everything else comes afterwards. So this is the deal. I'll search separately and when I'm done with my assignment, I will join you. Take it or leave it, I don't have time to lose!" he pressured the prince.

Valerian Mengsk pondered for a minute. The mercenary captain, Tamasino, had a point there. If he wouldn't respect that agreement he mentioned, how could he respect the one he was offered now? It pained him that his hackers cannot find out who he really is and the yellow, wooden ship pattern on their battlecruisers was new to any data he posessed, meaning that he was either changing them as time went by, or that he was new to the business. Regardless he had proven to be a very capable zerg fighter. He even wondered if Tamasino encountered the zerg before. If so, his experience will prove very useful in this race to save Jake Ramsey and the preserver from Kerrigan's cluthces. Only problem was, as stated, the secrecy around Tamasino. Could he trust him to keep his word? His father will ask for a bill for each large payment he made, so he would have to explain the absence of a certain amound of credits.

" Very well, mr Tamasino. You drive a hard bargain, but you are right. Your help could prove invalueble to my expedition and I will buy you and your men's services. How much do you charge?"

" _E timpul pentru o ţigănie( time to be a gypsy/ to empty his pocket)!"_ the Admiral thought to himself and smiled behind his mask.

" Given the fact that I would be conducting two businesses at once, I will charge you less than usual, but with a 50% advance payment. Last time I didn't request that, I was left for a fool! How fitting, that the real fool that crossed me was rat food in a few days!" he added with a vicious voice. " 250000 credits total, 100000 credits right now. I will give you a secure account to transfer them to!"

One of Esmeralda's assistant ghosts opened up a secure transfer connection towards one of Black Knife's accounts that they were given a few days before. Tamasino sent the crown prince the inquired data and in a matter of seconds, the cash was in their pockets. As a result, the mercenary captain moved the conversation to another server, in which both parties signed the online contract, binding each other to their aforementioned obligations.

" Right then, mr Tamasino, I will be going now. I have some people to save. If you find them before me and return them safely, be at peace, for the rewards will certainly outweigh anything you have imagined. Goodbye now!" the prince closed the connection, then Esmeralda and her fellow ghosts cleaned the servers.

After a tiresome 4 hours effort while the fleet and its denizens were in lockdown, the Argonaut fleet left the surface of Deadman's Rock. Afterwards they warp jumped at a random location far away. That took them about three and a half hours. Next, they performed another warp jump to the Sara system, one that was known to be rather defiant of Dominion authority. It took them four hours, for they had to wait until the dominion merchant courses were opened. It seemed as if the place was under some kind of blockade, but it didn't really matter. One way or another, they will wait on Mar Sara for a report from James Raynor, who had contacts in the area and agreed to meet them there three days later, after he completed his scouting op.

The road through the space lanes was long but uneventful, luckily. He half expected Valerian to connect the dots between any possible shipwrecks above or around what remained of New Sydney and his logo. If they haven't been dealt with until now, it meant that they had some more time at their disposal.

In his briefing, Black Knife said that the capital of Braxis, Boralis, has greatly improved it's defenses since last time he was there. The Umojan spy network, the best of the best, managed to identify three defense grids: manned, asteroid based Missile Turrets, well camouflaged, two fleets of about 270 vikings and 300 wraiths, aided by around 13 minotaur class battlecruisers, half of which were spaceborn, while the other half was resting. Next came the ground based defensive grid, composed of two rows of bunkers, based circularly around the city of Boralis. Each of them was top of the line, manned to the brink and equipped with either science vessels or missile turrets so as to deter any covert operation. Apart from that, there were the two legions of warriors guarding the inner part of the ensemble, 15000 fighters in total.

" We've got some really good chances, what more can I say about it?" Andronic commented, before.

In the meantime, the Admiral managed to heal his ugly wound, the one he got from Castellano. The medical exam deemed him fit for physical stress and training, but with certain conditions, which he didn't obey, this time.

Esmeralda, having seen that her father miracously posessed psionic power, decided to train him, in spite of his reluctance.

As they made their way to the training rooms, both of them dressed in Hekate-class ghost suits, Andronic voiced his concern about enhancing his psi potential, saying that it could be problematic for him to hide from other telepaths even if he had the level of a wrangler, not a full- time ghost. Even so, his daughter was adamant in her decision. Not learning how to master or at least control that much power could bring havoc in the most unwanted of situations. She recalled how children with a psi index of 4 or 5, even higher, that were hidden by their parents ended up with blowing up their houses, frying people's minds, destroying stuff at random around them, everything unintentionally of course, but nonetheless fatal for them and those around them.

Sighing, Marcu Andronic gave up his protest and they soon entered a giant room, with all sorts of equipment designed to keep ghosts and other elite warriors in tip top shape. Also, it was electro-proof, meaning that all sorts of emanations from either the equipment or the people themselves did not leave this room. Took him an impressive investment, but it was worth it. Barely any casualties in the Penumbra regiment, despite uneven battle conditions.

" So, father, today, me and you are not family, for we are rivals. You will have to learn how to free your powers first so we could learn their extent. Once we do that, we will work on controlling them, step by step. Oh, and we will be fighting while at it!" she added with a smirk.

" Very well! Do remind me not to hit you too hard, my dear! I would be... he answered but was thrown into a mobile metal wall by Esmeralda with little mental effort.

" I told you that we are rivals. Give your best as of now!" she added, laughing mockingly.

Andronic got up and ran to her, looking to land some quick blows to her head and legs. She dodged them with ease, without hitting him back just yet. Instead, she was intent on getting him winded. She jumped back a few meters and plonged to the right, climbing some retractable stairs up a few stories.

The Admiral swore and started following her. He was running faster and jumping higher, courtesy of his special ghost suit, but even that couldn't hope to match Esmeralda's psionic aided moves. His were sluggish compared to them. When he managed to catch up with her, she would simply dash sideways or jump to the skies (or sealing). Running out of options-and air in his lungs-, he started using the obstacles to his advantage.

As such, his daughter was relieved to see that the old geezer was getting back in shape. He told her that he had done many such drills back on Earth, but she doubted their usefulness, mainly because he was relying too heavily on machines, such as his Royal Goliath, to do the job, not his body. This time, it was the other way around.

" Warmup is over, Andronic! It's time to put your fighting skills to use! Let's see what you've got!" she said, defyingly.

His silver eyes met her ruby red ones. She could swear that she saw some kind of regret, remorse in them. However, as she gazed deeper, the feeling would change into a rage, one not too diffrent from those pushed into a corner, ready to be cut into pieces, like animals. For once in her entire life, she feared her adoptive father. It was as if it wasn't him; as if some strange being was about to strike her down.

Without another word, Andronic lunged forward, his jumps growing in both distance and speed. Instinctively, his powers were being channeled to his legs, making him faster and number. As his daughter dashed to the left to parry one of his elbow strikes, he rotated himself, landing beside her and kicking her in her left side. Esmeralda was thrown into a nearby obstacle and she even gasped for air. Using most of her psionic power to create a barrier to protect the baby was very demanding indeed. Such a continuous action required her utmost attention and Andronic got her by surprise with his quick paced attack. The " old geezer" had more secrets behind his eyes that he cared to show!

Getting up, she wasn't able to find him. Had he discovered the cloaking ability so quickly?

Being grabbed by her left leg and thrown into the sealing certainly answered that question.

" Okay, that's something new!" she told herself, but was interrupted by a maleficient mental laugh.

" Did you really think I wouldn't know the specs of my own hekate-class ghost suits? My dear, I told you I trained in the best facilities on Earth. That included limited covert training too! Ha-ha-ha-ha!-ha!" the Admiral said.

" Just great! His powers are increasing and NOW I'm finding out that he has some experience already? What the heck?"

" My dear, haven't I taught you not to swear?" he added mockingly and slammed his fist right next to her, leaving a sizeable mark in the metal wall. She thanked her reflexes for getting her out of the way again.

Esmeralda cloaked herself as well. But, as she was busy keeping up that psionic shield around her baby, she couldn't permanently keep her high psi signature from anyone stronger than a wrangler. Seeing a small distortion in the room, she jumped right at it, hitting something-someone- along the way. As she tried to hit it again, she was tripped and had to jump back a few meters and attack again, relying on her hearing and keen eye vision to spot anything off.

" There, to the left!" she thought and jumped landing a vertical blow in that direction. Unfortunately for her, she was wrong this time, for Andronic had set a trap for her.

Right after, he uncloaked next to her and got her by the neck, applying enough pressure so as to keep her from escaping or doing anything rash.

" I told you I got the best training. It's just that I always seemed to lose against telepaths. This time, it is the other way around, my dear!" he whispered and pulled her neck tighter. " Now, is it enough to prove my point, or do you wish to go further, at your own risk?"

Swallowing hard, the girl couldn't believe the situation she was in. Bested by what by all means should have been a novice at most, not an expert good enough to take down a level 8 ghost. If her cruel teachers at the Ghost Academy would have witnessed this development, she would have been subjected to mental and physical torture for at least a week. Though it hurt her pride badly, she nodded her head and let out a weak: " It's enough!".

In less than a second, she was free and was welcoming the cold, fresh air back to her lungs. Massaging her neck, the " Rainbow Vixen" gazed upon her father once again. Completly unexpected, indeed. No one had ever imagined that he would posess that much raw psionic inside of him. Not only that, but also learn to partially control it like he did. Hopefully, those would be brought under control as soon as possible, in order to effectively use them in future endeavors and in order to prevent any accidents along the way.

She felt his hand on her right shoulder. A small spark rushed through her body. It wasn't dangerous, but empathic, just like the energies he was emanating now. Whatever happened earlier, it was gone by now. So, she turned around and looked him in his silver eyes again. The friendlier, caring, contemplating, if not philosophical look has returned, thankfully.

" You are back!" she said and then hugged him. After a few seconds, she also slapped his face. " What the heck was that back there?"

" You said we were to be rivals for this game. I only obeyed the rules, as agreed!" he answered with an almost innocent look. The Admiral then reached and took her hands into his, holding them gently. " You didn't put all your psionic strenght into the battle. Why?"

Those words worried her, but she managed to hide it under a small, although sad smile. " I did not want to hurt you!"

" Be that as it may, are you sure it wasn't something else? Something precious inside of you, needing a psionic shield's protection?"

"How do you..." she asked with misbelief.

He let go of her hands and started rubbing his chin. Even he hadn't expected that. As they battled a few minutes ago, he felt that her energies were being drawn to a certain point in her body, namely the belly. One had to be extremely stupid or blind, so as not to connect the dots between the ghost's relationship with the deputee officer and this situation. Still, it surprised him, especially since his daughter didn't want to share this secret with him.

" Ce urât din partea ta, draga mea Esmeralda! Să nu-mi spui tu mie că voi fi bunic! ( How rude of you, my dear Esmeralda! How could you not tell me that I'll be a grandpa?)" he asked with a sad face.

„ What does that mean?" she asked and then remembered that she too had a translation device. " Oh, that!" she answered to her own question. Now she really felt guilty. He, of all people, should have known about her pregnancy ever since it was confirmed. No one else, except maybe Josef, was nice and understanding with her.

" Truth is- she said with remorse- I was afraid that you would have me abort him because of our mission and the dangers involved or worse, separate me from Josef by home arresting me in the Solaris System!" she said with tears dropping from her eyes.

Touched to his heart, Marcu Andronic pulled her in a gentle hug, in which they relished for some time, before he released her and looked her in those fiery red ruby eyes.

" How could you thinks something like that, my daughter? I always tried to get you a normal life, one in which you would have complete freedom, a job for your capabilities and, most importantly, a family. I would break my promise to you if I behaved otherwise. In other words, you may stay on the ship and take care of the little one!" he said and then kissed her on her forehead .

Looking up to him, she felt like the happiest girl, no, woman, in the world. She imagined a much worse scene, in which he would either yell at her, scold her or condemn such irresponsable behaviour. None of that happened and he gave her his approval and support. Now she had to play it safe for a few more months.

" Thank you, father! I knew I could count on you! Now let's go on and see what your results are. I'm quite anxious myself!" she told him and the two left the room in a hurry, heading to the control room, where Josef had been watching all the time. He used a psi screen during their fight so as to not hinder them with his presence. He took it off when they finished the fight.

Thinking the are after the results, he inputted the security codes for the analyzis and unlocked the data, just as they walked in.

" Now this is a surprise, Ioji!" the Admiral said, while Esmeralda walked up to her boyfriend and kissed him.

" I missed ya, you know?" she said, all smiling, like a kid having a sugar rush.

" Ummm! Me too, but I need you two to take a seat, believe me, you'll need it!"

Perplexed, the two ghosts, so to say, sat on two of the chairs in the left corner of the room, right by the door. There was a huge projector in the middle of the room, that was used to show the specifics of any soldier, weapon or vehicle used. The deputee officer turned off the lights, bringing utter darkness to the once bright blue reinforced neosteel and plexiglass room. Soon after, he pressed an endless amount of buttons, inputting all sorts of passwords. He took the precaution of carefully coding any information regarding the two, for he didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands. Finally, he pressed " enter" and two lights, a silver and a purple one, shot out of the projector, taking Andronic and Esmeralda's shapes. The reseblence was shocking, for they described everything about them, to the smallest detail possible.

The A.I voice then began its report on the recent training exercise:

" Subject Marcu Andronic, current commander of this ship. Database indicates top level weapon, piloting and mechanical skills and significant melee fighting prowess and acceptable physical endurance and strenght. No psionic powers detected( level 0). Be warned that this information is in concordance with what was known until now. Calculating possible modifications... Warning! Sharp increase in endurance, strenght and flexibility. Coordination and reflexes have also increased. Measuring psionic powers... Level 5 confirmed, but the progress has not stopped. Further increase is possible. The battle chart indicates a spike increase in brain activity when under stress or uneven battle conditions, which may have unexpected consequences."

" Subject Esmeralda, lieutenant and commander of the 11th Ghost Regiment Penumbra. Database indicates top level sniping, hacking and melee battle skills, coupled with high endurance and strenght. Also proeficient in piloting, mechanical work, explosives handling and so on. Very high psionic level detected; level 8 confirmed. There is the possibility of it increasing as time will pass."

" Ok, compare their performance in their most recent duel!" ordered Josef as he pressed another button.

" Acknowledged! Comparing the two subjects...! the A.I.'s voice said as Esmeralda's and Andronic's data were being compiled in a table, each of their skills being put into balance.

" Subject Andronic started the battle with a significant handicap. In the first minutes, no psionic activity had been detected and subject Esmeralda bested him when it came to endurance and speed. However, once the fighting itself began, his brain activity and heart rate increased tremendously. This had led to the appearence of psionic powers, which he used to augment his physical skills. Subject Esmeralda, although more powerful than the aforementioned person, never expected that change and let her guard down. Her concentrating on keeping a psionic shield around her inner body prevented her from attacking properly. Subject Andronic used the opportunity to its fullest, defeating her."

" Psionic power balance: 58 in favour of subject Esmeralda.

\- Psionic augmentation of physical skills: 86 in favour of subject Andronic.

\- Cloaking and hiding from detection skills: 87 in favour of subject Andronic.

\- Psionic power channeling and control calculations are still inconclusive. A preliminary analysis indicates that subject Andronic has severe problems with this part of the training: 29 in favour of Esmeralda.

\- Weapon and melee skills have not been measured so they will not be taken into account right now."

Other specifics have also been mentioned, such as preferred movements, vulnerabilities, battle patterns and so one, but those were not of much interest to the trio.

Marcu Andronic certainly did not expect this development. He had proven an inhuman ability of coordinating combat walkers and other vehicles which required a nimble and quick thinking pilot. Even viking pilots commended him for his incredible skill, given that he neveer received any formal training sessions for the new starfighter. Indeed, this new predicament may very well explain those many strange situations that he experienced. The big question was why now? He had been in tight spots before, a few of them worse than Black Knife's psionic choke and no special powers manifested themselves back then. It was more troubling than he wanted to believe.

Catching his trail of thoughts, Esmeralda put a hand on his left shoulder and turned him towards her.

" Father, you needn't worry! We will make sure you will be able to control those powers. Surely, it will take time, patience and commitment, but those are the qualities that made you such a leader, so it won't be a problem for you, right?" she told him, smiling optimisticly.

" You know she is right, sir! We will always be at your side, no matter what! You can count on us!" Josef added and put his hand on his right shoulder.

Andronic felt relieved. His familiy was and will be there for him in his time of need. Even if they weren't related by blood, they had a close bond between them. He had always wanted something like this and fate seemed to finally smile upon him. It was as if God was safeguarding his decision, guiding him through the cold darkness and void that was the Universe. Who could have imagined, that after leaving your home, your home planet and nearly everyone you knew, in order to plunge head long into the unknown, you would find your own, original and full of surprises road? To what that road will lead you, no one, not even you, knows! That is, perhaps, because you are building that road in every day, every hour, every moment of your existence.

Marcu Andronic pulled the two into a tight hug. Although surprised at first, the two embraced their would be father and father-in-law respectively.

" Thank you!" he finally said, releasing him. " So, have you thought about a name for my grandson?" he asked smiling.

The other two blushed and scratched their heads, as their thoughts never went that far until now. They never even pondered about the wedding, since they didn't know how he would react.

" How do you know he'll be a boy?" Esmeralda asked.

" Just a feeling. Remember I've got superpowers?" Andronic said jokingly. " But I have a few conditions for you two lovebirds! First and most important, you two shall remain on the ship at all times, no matter what.

" Father!"

" Silence! You and Josef need to take care of each other. If the battles requires it, I shall lead our ground forces to victory, personally. Why not? I'm the best when it come to commanding mechs and now I know why. I will not allow you to get yourselves hurt or killed when you have such great responsabilities to each other. PERIOD!" he ordered them.

" What about you, sir?" Josef asked, after a minute of silence.

" My life is irrelevant, as long as those that I protect can live and move on to achieve their dreams and mine, if they have the time! Bear in mind that I will do all I can to keep it this way. I would be an empty, lifeless shell otherwise. Now, let's go to the cantina and drink to your health!" he added, motioning them to follow him.

 _The Hyperion's deck, after they made the warp jump to Braxis, following Valerian's arrival._

Jim Raynor was pacing around the room, unpatiently. He was troubled by the news they've received from Black Knife an hour before. After prince Valerian made his completly unexpected visit to Deadman's Rock, the Queen of Blades followed soon after and started battering the planet's defenders with tens of thousands of zerg of all shapes and sizes. Why had she returned? What was she doing? Who or what was Kerrigan after? That he didn't know and certainly didn't like. There had to be some answers to these questions, no matter how hard to find they may be. Also, there was an additional file, a video footage, attached to the transmission and he had Matt Horner deocode it. Now it was ready for viewing, so he took a seat in his favorite old chair and watched as the holo-screen came to life.

As the feed went on, they witnessed the way the Dominion and mercenary defenses were being decimated by the sheer, relentless, numbers of the zerg, coming from two giant organisms holding in atmosphere. Some time later, 11, very familiar battlecruisers, aided by 4 other mercenary ones, took to the skies, slashing their way through the zerg lines.

" Son of a bitch! That's the UED remnants right there!" Raynor commented.

" Argonauts, sir! They insisted on being called that way! Matt Horner corrected.

" Well enough, press the play button again and let's see what those jokers did!"

As his second in command complied, the other people on deck at that time left their posts and started gathering around the holo-screen so as to see some action, for they were certainly bored, since they've been warp jumping for an hour now.

The camera shifted from the skies to the ground, to the city of Paradise, to be more precise, where a familiar purple suited ghost was leading her group to wax any critters that roamed the streets. Again, shifting above, the feed showed Andronic's incredible skill at commanding a fleet of flyers, as they managed to critically wound and then kill one of the two giant zerg " spaceships" with surgical precision.

" That guy is one tough bastard! Engaging the zerg like that!" one of Raynor's officers commented.

" Heh! Remind me of a certain commander of ours!" another said and got back to work.

For Matt Horner, seeing the zerg lose a battle and retreat was unthinkable, yet there it was, the very best proof, in front of his eyes. Maybe he misjudged the former UED captain turned admiral and his men.

" Sir, do you see what I'm seeing?"

" Yeah! Kerrigan getting her arse kicked and pulling back her forces! I can't believe it, Matt! After all these years, what could she be looking for? Why attack now, why Deadman's Rock, of all places?" Raynor wondered, pulling her picture out of his pocket and looking over his long lost love.

" Dunno, sir! Seems that she is looking for the same thing as Valerian Mengsk- Raynor seethed at the mention of the last name. Chances are, they'll keep at it and stay out of our way!"

" Fair enough, although I don't like the idea of having her roam the galaxy and not knowing the reason. Still, if I have to hunt her down, I might as well count on that Andronic guy. Seems capable, if you ask me. Now, how much time until we reach Braxis?"

" Half an hour, sir. We will be exiting hyperspace in the dark side of the planet. That way we will be able to better hide from detection."

" Don't count on it, Matt! You know how much Mengsk loves us. We are probably the ones accused for the destruction of New Sydney. If not, then we will be in short time. I want all of you- he turned to his officers- to prep the Hyperion and the other two cruisers for evasive maneuvers as soon as we enter Braxis's orbit. We are bound to face detection and some resistence so be on your toes, everyone!" he ordered and then went to his room to take a much needed brake before the storm begins."

After he left, Matt Horner took command and began to give orders to his left and right. Black Knife provided them with a suitable location for a base and a way to the surface of the planet, but could not guarantee the complete accuracy of his data, no matter how renowned the Umojan spy networks were for their precision. The infantery was rushed towards the transports and drop pods, getting ready for battle insertion. A few hercules transports were also prepared to take siege tanks and goliaths to the surface. Last but not least, Matt sent Andronic a coded message by means of a middle man on Mar Sara, one that Raynor trusted with his life: Joey Ray, the owner of the famous Backwater Station bar. Under his modest looking establishment was a rather large base, equipped with long range trasmitters, coders, decoders and the best hackers that the raiders ever recruited. Since they were provided with top level equipment from the Umojan Protectorate, they were able to operate without ever being detected by the Dominion.

Now it was time for the hard part: get a small raider army planetside and establish a durable base **.** _ **Mission Impossible**_ indeed!

 _Mengsk's Imperial Palace soon after the battle of Deadman's Rock_

Arcturus Mengsk, emperor of the Terran Dominion and the most powerful and influential human in the Koprulu Sector was talking with his son via video link. He was aware of the boy's increasing interest in archeology and he tried to change this peculiar hobby of his with battle simulation, politics, agressive diplomacy and other skills he attained during his Sons of Korhal period and his current reign. Sadly, he could not change his mind, so he took another approach. Rather than strain the already uneasy relationship between themselves( they certainly were diametrally opposed both in thinking and acting), he opted to fund his vast and various expeditions under the guise of the so called Moebius Foundation. Valerian only had to ask for a certain amount of money and give a solid motivation for receiving them, nothing less, nothing more, or so it would seem. Evidently, the boy was extatic and quickly agreed with the aforementioned terms. This way, Arcturus would not only keep a close eye on his son's whereabouts and intentions, but also benefit from the discoveries he made. Remarkably, Valerian came through a few times, bringing valueble knowledge on protoss machinery and even a few samples of unknown alien origin, which he, being the good and caring emperor he was, turned them into weapons for the defense of his people.

Now, the crown prince in cause, his son, reported something very strange indeed. During one of his last expeditions, one of his scientists and a few of the mercs under his command went rogue without any apparent reason. That spiked his curiosity. Furthermore, his description of the ensueing battle of Deadman's Rock was nothing short of an epic movie. Kerrigan making her comeback didn't sit well with him or the rest of the Dominion, even if that was a lawless fringe world she was attacking. Valerian said that he and his forces, plus whatever the planetside scoundrels amassed were no match for the Queen of Blades and her damned minions. But, and there always was a " but", she seemed to be looking for the same guys as him.

The closest to a breath-taking moment was his recall of the mysterious mercenary fleet that took down one of the bitch's huge zerg spaceships. Their leader had to have the biggest balls on that planet, so to speak.

" It was unbelievable, father! They went at the damn beast, who kept reinforcing the zerg's air and ground forces. 15 cruisers and their fighters warp jumped close to it and then unleashed their relentless batteries on the unexpecting beast. Some time later, they fired their yamato cannons, effectively desintegrating the damn thing! Amazing, I tell you!" he said extaticly.

" So it is son! But who is leading that valian bunch of mercs? Surely his insignia would have popped up on your database, but you do not seem to know that. Is there something you are not telling me?"

" Beside the fact that he called himself Tamasino and said he formed his forces only recently? No. I will call you if there are any other developments. Until then, please wire 400000 credits into my foundation's account. We will be needing it to hire new mercs, as the guy essentially robbed me of 180000 credits for his help!" he said with anger in his voice. It was partially simulated, since he didn't want to give away everything to his father, not like that, not for free and not without any insurence. Information is too valueble to be handed out lightly, he often said.

" I will take you on your word! That is, after all, what a father should do, right? Anyway you will have the funds in your account as soon as possible, though I advise you to limit your expenditures as much as you can. We cannot waste resources when Raynor keeps raiding us and Kerrigan just made her unpleasently unexpected return now, can we?" Arcturus said, ending the conversation.

He then turned around to another computer and typed his unique, incredibly hard to remember password, before initiating a conversation with the Dominion's top class ghost and hacker, agent , **X41822N,** also knwon as Nova Terra.

" Hello, my dear! How have you been doing?"

" Very well, sir! That uprising on Brontes II has been taken care of with minimal casualties and maximum ferocity, as you requested! The strike leader and his aids are now lying dead in the front square of the capital city." the young, blond ghost answered, not a flick of emotion showing.

Arcturus claped his hands a few times and applauded her for her skill, loyalty and determination.

" Congratulations! I knew there was a reason why I made you my personal agent **,** **X41822N!** "

" I live to serve humanity and its wise ruler, namely you, my lord!" she said, bowing her head in respect.

" Oh please, my dear, do not waste time with pleasentries! I commend you for your talents and therefore thought of a real challenge for you, that is, if you are willing to go for it!" he added provokingly, as he went to his refrigerator and took out a bottle of premium scotch, then poured himself a glassfull and sipped with the grace of a dictator, while looking in her eyes.

She didn't flinch. She didn't even took a moment to think about her next mission. It could be dangerous, a plunge into the unknown with virtually nothing of use to her other than her weapons and training. And still, she showed no emotion, no fear, no remorse, nothing! That's why he liked ghosts so much. Powerful, psionically gifted people that were his to command. Indeed he preffered them over a fleet of 30 battlecruisers, for one ghost agent with a psi index of 10 was what he needed when things were to delicate for other units to handle.

" I'll do it! You can count on me!" she answered.

" Wonderful! Just wonderful! You see, my son encountered a very peculiar mercenary commander, whose tactics are unheard of, to say the least. As I have just seen, my son is indebted to him and won't hand over any information just like that...

" You want me to read his mind? Steal that info right from his head?" she asked eagerly.

" Do not inerrupt me! And the answer is NO! I personally trained him to resist psychics and any attempt at overpowering his mind defense could result in permanent braind damage, which I don't have to tell you how counterproductive will be, am I understood?" he pressed those words for maximum effect.

" The thing is, I need you to find out what you can about this Tamasino and this logo of his!" he continued, sending her the name and the group's yellow trierme logo. " You would have to be very subtle about it. Who knows whom they belong to and not being detected will bring us many more advantages than a too direct and open approach! Go now, I believe you will come through succesfully!"

" Thank you for your trust sir! I won't fail you!" the blonde ghost responded and then the transmission was cut.

Turning around in his chair, Emperor Arcturus Mengsk gazed upon the beautiful image of an Augustgrad basked in the sunset. He would go to great lenghts to insure that his reign, his planet and his people will remain unharmed in the innevitable conflict that was to come. The fring worlds, both under his rule or claim could go to hell altogether, if it meant keeping the rest of the Dominion intact.

" I will find out who you are, Tamasino! No one can escape me, for I have eyes in every corner of this magnificent realm of mine! It is only a matter of time, a short one, if I might add!" he talked to himself calmly,

 _Somewhere around Backwater Station, on the planet of Mar Sara, three days after Andronic's training session with Esmeralda and after a very short transmission from Raynor's contact there._

A rusty, seemingly endless desert of rocks, metal, sand and what else, filled with the remains of countless battles, be them between terrans, zerg and terrans and or protoss. No matter where you were stepping, you were bound to find a big chunk of something- mostly scrap metal- underneath you. That is the price to pay for infestation, Andronic remembered the briefing he got on Earth from the Grand Council of United Earth's Affairs- the heart and brain of the UED-. A protoss fleet commanded by executor Tassadar showed up right after the Sons of Korhal evacuated the planet, turning it and everything else to ashes, glass and what else, rendering it pretty much void of any living conditions. It seemed as if the Dominion returned, for some unknown reason. Mar Sara was terraformed once again and mining towns and encampments rose up again around the main resource spots. More than enough minerals and gas had remained or had yet to be discovered, which made the investment pretty lucrative, at least in the middle and in the long run.

He trained long and hard for the battle to come. He also found out that he could link up his powers with mechanical units, such as vikings, goliaths and others, which gave him many good ideas. Those, however, were shared only with the main engineer, Jolanda Kars, whom he trusted to keep the secret. Also, the new lieutenant-colonel of the Spartan Company had been chosen. Nikos Constantinis, a pure bred greek man in his late thirties. Short hair, hazel eyes, olive complexion and a sturdy build. He was renowned for his loyalty, something that made him a disgrace, in the eyes of Castellano, but, since Andronic was the boss now, that was considered of high value. With the necessary formalities over, Nikos had taken the lead of the fabled Spartan Company.

The Argonauts's Admiral, Marcu Andronic was dressed in his UED captain attire, wearing his medals and all with pride. Besides him were Nikos and Esmeralda, along with a sizeable escort, composed of goliaths, vultures and marines, plus a few medics. Josef stayed with the ships, in order to watch out for any Dominion intrusions.

They made their way through the rugged, hostile terrain, covering their faces to protect themselves from the frequent, sometimes violent sand storms that riddled the surface of the planet. Luckily, someone had been nice enough to build a road, so that they may reach the damned station by sunset.

Someone greeted them from the distance. They saluted back, trying to look as normal and nonthreatening as possible. Coming closer, they were shocked to find a holo projection of waving its hand at them.

" Took you long enough, man. We have to get this revolution going! Step on the platform now and don't worry, it was built for handling small armies!" it said before it dissapeared.

Reluctantly, the small group stepped on what appeared to be a platform, carefully and cleverly camouflaged as part of the highway. Once the last goliath was on it, it started shaking, before it took them under the surface. They didn't realise how deep this tunnel went, but it had to be pretty far away to stay under the radar for this much time.

Finally coming to a halt, they exited the lift and were greeted by about 100 Raiders marines who trained their Gauss rifles in their direction, menacingly. Not caring at all about their threat, Andronic walked around, eagerly studying the surroundings. It always amazed him how an alloy of neosteel, vanadium and other rare minerals could produce such strong, resistent building materials. They had to be at least 50 stories underground, judging by the sheer size of the lift, the pillars and the many stories. He even spied a few hangars and many armories, even without a thorough search. Raynor really got this place going.

" Nice safehouse!" he complimented them, finally breaking the silence. " Oh, I hadn't presented myself, how rude of me! I am Admiral Marcu Andronic of the Argonauts and I am working with James Raynor on a common mission!"

" Braxis! Yeah, we know about you, mr badass UED captain. He's alright people, let them go! They won't be staying long, anyway!" Joey Ray, Raynor's favorite barkeeper and would be replacement said with a mocking voice, reminiscent of a texan accent.

He ordered them to come to his room, a rather big one, even for the likes of him. Actually, it was a briefing room, he later specified. In the middle of it, there was a large holo-projector, which he activated after inserting a data disk and some passwords.

" Right, this is the last message we've received from the Hyperion. That transmission came through half an hour ago!" he said, as the images came to life.

The camera feed showed the ever colder hell that Braxis was renowned for. The Dominion fortifications were amassed in and around Boralis with an almost impossible to break space blockade above it. How Raynor managed to land and build an impressive base just 24 kilometers west of Boralis was beyond him.

" Andronic, if you are reading this, then come here quickly! My boys could really...u... your... he...help!" a marine in black cmc armor said, evidently it was Raynor. He was in the middle of a firefight with a dominion attack force that was pounding his base pretty hard. He seemed to be in control of the situation, but that could easily change in the future. The Hyperion and the other two battlecruisers were grounded and providing AA and ATS cover fire against any sizeable attackers.

Now it was Matt Horner that did the talking:

" He's not kidding man! This is way beyond us! We ask you to come here as soon as possible and honour your part of the agreement! Even though I still have my doubts about you, I believe you'll make the right choice!... What? what's going on? The Dominion is redirecting its flyers towards us! Hurry!" he added with horror in his voice, before the feed was cut off.

" As you can see, they are in a pretty tight spot! We will give you all necessary intel and whatever else we can provide in this short time!"

" Don't you worry! In less than an hour, we will be heading for the damned Arctic Hell and we'll teach the Dominion a lesson! Only things I need are info, bullets and nukes! Think you can provide those?"

" We most certainly have them; now they're yours!" Joey Ray answered grinning evily.

 _ **Hello people**_ **! Sorry for taking so long to update, but I'm in my last highschool year and the pressure isn't to be taken lightly. As you can see, I'm trying to keep a weekly update if possible.**

 **Big thanks to all those that have read my fanfic! You are the ones keeping me going! Know it! ;)**

 **Also, many thanks to all my reviewers and PM correspondents.**

 **As usual, I am open to suggestions via** **PM** **or** **reviews** **. Do not be afraid to** **speak your mind, my fellow Starcraft fans!**

 _ **Please**_ _ **follow**_ _ **or**_ _ **favorite**_ _ **the story if you like it ;). Seeing it being read gives me the determination to continue writing.**_

 _ **Have a nice day!**_


	12. 12: Screams of fire, melting ice!

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own Starcraft, nor do I make a profit from any activity relating with the franchise.

 **Author's note:** _ **First, I would like to thank all my readers for viewing my fanfiction! It is always great to see that people appreciate your work! :)) If you would be so kind as to give your opinion about this story, I would appreciate it. If it got you interested, you can always follow it! ;)**_

 _ **Still, I liked both the game and the story very much. Thus I felt I should develop part of it in a new way. The UED fascinated me and the perspective of a terran remnant group, light years away from Earth, with no chance of going back and having to confront an entire sector seemed to be a good starting point for a story involving both the original characters and some new, unique ones. I will try to stick to the original story as best as I can. However, remember that this is a fanficiton and not everything must go according to the letter.**_

 **Chapter 12:** _ **Screams of fire, melting ice!**_

 _The Decebalus, on the Argonauts's way to Braxis._

The long awaited battle is finally taking place and they will be getting into action asap, probably in an hour or two or so they will be in the planet's orbit. Seems like Raynor's Raiders really outdid themselves this time, he thought, as they managed to load the necessary fuel, ammo and 4 nukes into the minotaur class battlecruisers of his lower-middle sized fleet. They would certainly come in handy, no doubt about that.

Marcu Andronic spent more and more time in the armory, trying to figure out how to improve his Royal Goliath and, what all people except for Jolanda Kars, his chief engineer didn't know, was to learn how to better connect with the machines. Learning how to channel his psionic energy in order to control the mech like your own body was something he had to do alone. Since no one tried that before, it would be pretty hard to hire a teacher and he wouldn't have Esmeralda anywhere around him until he learned how to safely use his powers.

Dressed in his modified hekate ghost suit, Andronic stepped into the Royal Goliath's cockpit. A special space, built after his own measurements, enabled him to connect his mind, body and energy with the lifeless husk that he used for a weapon. A few tubes were connected to his arms, shoulders and legs, so as to tap into the psionic powers emanating from his body and also use his suit's recirculation ability give greater efficiency in all aspects.

He made sure to lockdown the entire training facility while he was training. All cameras were shut down and there was no way that anyone, beside his engineer of course, that would see him while took part battle simulation.

" Alright, sir, the ice cavern map is going to load first. Be sure to be careful and do not push the machine or yourself over the limit!" Jolanda spoke by means of her microphone, which only Andronic could hear through his ear piece.

" Right! Press the start button already!" he answered impatiently.

In less than a minute, he found himself on a frozen moon, surrounded by Dominion soldiers, marines, firebats, marauders, tanks and goliaths. He also had troops at his disposal, but those were fewer in number, as he inisted on setting a high difficulty for this simulation.

A storm of bullets was headed his way, so he motioned his mech to the sides, rotating its torso, so that he could fire back. His autocannons shredded the infantery's armor pretty easiliy, but it had some problems with siege tanks and other heavy units. Ordering his troops forward, he found out that he shouldn't be assaulting bunkers by himself. His autocannons and rockets weren't built to attack fortified buildings, even without upgrades.

" Flyers inbound!" one of his marines shouted.

The computer indicated a wave of 30 vikings heading his way with haste.

" Ok, time to test those new area damage Lanzer torpedoes!" Andronic spoke to himself and he took off the safety for the AA rockets. In a few seconds, about 100 of them flew away at the incoming enemy flyers. The torpedoes, powered by charon boosters, coupled with the new targeting software his men recently stole from New Sydney, managed to shatter all the vikings before any of them came into range of his buffed up mech.

Turning his attention back to the enemy ground forces, a strange thought crossed his mind. Using his newly acquired powers, he merged his mind and body with the mech, enabling it to make fast, unbelievably fast, agile and precise movements that only a top level human soldier could have been capable of. He jumped over the wall of bunkers, landing behind the enemy lines. Since they obviously didn't expect this move on his part, they were gunned down in an instant by his 6 autocannons and extra machne guns, paving the way for the rest of his forces, which managed to finish the job.

It was over. Jolanda shut down the battle simulation, downloaded the results on a single data disk and then went down to help Andronic get out of his combat walker. Surprisingly, as the young and creative woman made her way to the centre of the field, the Admiral exited the machine on his own. The way she saw him, he was a bit too relaxed, too... careless? Perhaps.

" Sir, here is the data disk of this session. It is the only copy and I have erased all the other info on the computer. Make sure to pay close attention to any detail that may seem odd, any possible malfunction, glitch or the like!" Jolanda reported in her usual formal way.

He, on the other hand, could not help himself but smile. He was very fond of this new gimmick he just used. It may very well be a prototype, unstable and unpredictable, but it was worth the risk, now that he cannot afford to send Esmeralda in his place. With this Royal Goliath of his, aided by Nikos and his other upgraded mechs, he would make due without the capable ghost. In fact, when it comes to extremely dangerous battles, which involve an enormous amount of troop and firepower, he and his newly formed goliath regiment would fare better. Time will tell, of that he was sure.

Thanking his chief engineer, Andronic retreated to his chambers, intent on reviewing his last performance and planning how to get over the obstacle that was this pesky dominion blockade that Raynor reported.

 _Raiders's base, 24 kilometers west of Braxis's capital, Boralis._

Raynor took his dead comrade's weapon and finished off the rest of the marines and marauders that kept punding his bunker barricade. The icy wastes in and around their base were colored red because of all the blood spilled by now. One might add to that the fact that in a few hours, they will be able to build an inpenetrable mountain of neosteel waste. Everywhere he looked, the ground would resemble a graveyard. The mission had its ups and downs.

Firstly, they were lucky enough to get to the surface and find this concealed valley, which allowed them to go on undetected until they managed to raise a sturdy base and two lines of barricades and bunkers, plus a few turrets. So the first day went on pretty smooth. Soon after, however, a Dominion patrol stumbled across some of his more reckless guards, which in turn lead to a nasty confriontation. Thanks to the planet's unpleasent weather conditions, the signals were jammed by the storms themselves, but that didn't mean it was over yet. The two days between the time they landed and the time they made their call to Andronic and his forces were filled to the brink with annoying, succesive and increasing Dominion raids. Last time, they got serious and brought in siege tanks and goliaths, plus a few ghosts, along with their usual infantery. Sure they could handle the latter, only problem was that they were lacking in manpower and firepower, of which they would soon run out, if things kept going like this and the UED remnant bastards won't show up on time.

Raynor swore again and ducked. A sniper had him in his crosshair and he had to thank his comrade's visor for reflecting the damned bastard. Jumping to his side, he shot about 50 bullets in the guy's direction. A few seconds later, a lifeless body slid down a nearby ice hill.

" Damn it! This is becoming unbeareble! Men, tighten up those ranks and push the reserves forward! We need to hold the line until the backup arrives!"

Most of his men complied, although there were quite a few who were in disagreement with that statement. They were tired, wounded or have run out of ammo and goodwill.

" Commander!" one of his most trusted men, M. Koiter, began. " You know we trust you with our lives. We've been thorugh so much shit together that I could make 6 action, thriller, horror movies out of it, but I swear to God that you made the biggest f**king mistake in your entire life! Leaving us at the UED's mercy, trusting them this much? You're gonna kill us!" he protested, soon followed by others. They earned themselves a much needed breather and now they were wasting it with internal fights. As annoying and counterproductive as it was, Raynor knew that he taught them to always question suicidal or high-risks missions( although that didn't mean he told them to refuse taking part in them).

Looking around himself, he checked if any dominion troops were still around and when he was sure of their absence, he took a deep breath and started his preach: " Guys, I know I told you to question stupid commands, to think on your own and raise your voice if something is amiss! Well, you aren't too wrong about it. But you haven't met their boss. I believe he can be trusted!"

" Ha, what makes you think so, Raynor? You said the same thing about Mengsk, about Kerrigan, and look where our trust got us!" said Eddy, one of the few marines that survived from Mar Sara until now.

" Have you seen the footage that our contractor sent us? No? Then I dare you to watch asap! The UED captain turned admiral just kicked Kerrigan's ass and saved Deadman's Rock even if he didn't have to! Now I don't know about you, but that is more than ok for me!"

Some of his men agreed with him on the spot, while others were still pondering and others couldn't shake the feeling of deja vu that plagued their minds. Deciding to think it over after they've kicked the dominion's ass, all of the raiders helped to shore up the defenses for the next, unavoidable attacks. Secretly though, they've sent a few SCVs and marines to build another base a few kilometers away, in yet another hidden valley, where they were to collect much needed resources.

Raynor himself took his special Mark 12 heavy sniper rifle from the Hyperion, as well as a small group of marines and medics, with which he made a few daring raids against enemy encampments. Turns out that forward positions, outside the safety of Boralis's bunker lines were easy to smash and grab if you knew a thing or two about tactics.

" That guy had better show up before I'll show him the way to hell!" Raynor swore, while he ordered his group's retreat in the wake of another Dominion offensive.

 _The Decebalus's deck_

" Sir, we are exiting hyperspace around the planet of Braxis! Awaiting commands!" Josef reported, a bit nervous by the way. Well, if it weren't for Esmeralda being here next to him, gently reassuring him with happy, relaxing thoughts, the deputee officer would have been in a worse state. He couldn't describe why, but he had this strange feeking that things will not go their way this time. Raynor's tone, the desperation in his and Matt's words meant that the situation was dire on the ground, not to mention how the space battle may go.

Catching a bit of his worried thoughts, even though his newfound psionic abilites still required control, Admiral Marcu Andronic went to the starmap and started organizing the fleet.

" Calm yourselves, people! Fate has smiled upon us up until now, so we shall keep it this way no matter what! So, I want us power up our yamato cannons once we exit hyperspace. All battlecruisers must take take aim and shoot down your enemy counterparts as soon as possible. Then we will have less things to worry about! Afterwards, I send in all your wraiths in cloak mode. Once they get close to the remaining dominion ships, their task is to hit them hard and fast with all their rockets. With some luck, we might pull this off with the smallest of casualties! Just remember to be level-headed for this one people! This isn't Septuaginta or New Sydney, it's Braxis, one of the military hubs and prime supplier of vespene gas! If we won't be able to bleed it dry, then we will nuke Boralis and everything else around it! Am I understood?"

Everyone onboard agreed mmediately and went back to their posts. Josef, gathering himself, ordered all the pilots to prepare their fly machines, for they would need to be fast and precise about this. Also, he sent an order to all the gunners and their replacements to be in position.

Andronic sent Esmeralda to organise her ghost regiment. All other ground forces were already loading up the transports with everything necessary for the invasion. Drop pods too. Only problem was getting through the enemy lines without being shot down. That meant that they had to destroy more than half of the blockade and create a free flight corridor towards the planet's surface. Now, he only hoped Raynor could hold out a little longer.

In less than a minute, they exited hyperspace and were greeted with a most unlovley of sights.

The holo-screen started beeping like mad and the other captains were hailing him.

" We've got contact! 12 battlecruisers plus about 270 vikings and 300 wraiths!"

" Stop your blubbering, men! Proceed as planned!"

 _Dominion HQs in Boralis at the same time_

The Dominion defenders were very much surprised by the unexpected appearence. The whole base was agitated as hell because a dozen unknown battlecruisers just warp jumped next to the planet's space defense grid. Officers of all kinds were frantically shouting orders, running about, trying to figure out what to do.

The man in charge of the defense of Boralis was none other than general Eugene Tup, former military governor of New Sydney. He managed to escape the planet's destruction by flying off in his viking, but even so, he was caught in the explosion. As a result, he now had burn scars over half of his face and body, lost his left arm, which was replaced by a mechanical one plus he had problems walking, because of some damage to his knees and to his spinal cord. He always had an aide around him that would give him a hand when needed. Right now, he was looking forward to proving to the emperor that it wasn't a mistake to give him a second chance. Also, he had received an unexpected and surprisingly useful ghost operative to help him with this task.

" Agent Nova!" he greeted the blonde haired girl that uncloaked next to him. " I take it you are here for the same reason I am!"

" Yes, general! I am to gather as much intel about this Tamasino guy before we may proceed to killing him and probably his forces too!" she responded with a calm, if not cold voice.

" You doubt my expertise, agent?" general Tup asked, raising an eyebrow.

" Have you not already given his highness more than enough reasons to question your methods? Do I have to remind you that that terran/protoss experiment that we were conducting there had been of much importance and now we have to start over, thanks to your " expertise"? Do not blow away your only chance of redemption, general!" she answered with a somewhat rebelious tone, uncharacteristic of ghosts. But again, she was no ordinary ghost, for she scored a perfect 10 on the psi index. And the good general was aware of that predicament.

Before he could say anything, the alarms went haywire. Their formerly blue and white lit room was now drowning in alternative red and yellow lights. The officers started panicking, swearing and, after 2 minutes, the adjutant finally pinned the problem down:

" Warning! Eleven new battlecruisers have engaged the defense grid. Our losses are heavy and are only increasing by the minute. Calculating damage... 1-2-3-4-5 battlecruisers have been decimated so far and the others are only barely holding out. Commander, I recommend immediate reinforcement or retreat!"

General Eugene Top smashed one of the nearby screens with his left arm. He gritted his teeth in anger, as he was reliving a not so distant and not so pleasent memory. He had to take some measures, for he knew that if Tamasino's cruisers got too close, the might risk another nuclear disaster of planetary proportions.

" Activate the missile turrets, damn it! Send all availible reserve fighters and cruisers right away! They've used their yamaton cannons, so we have to strike them now, while they are still recharging their energy reactors. Go!"

Half an hour later, every hangar and starport in Boralis was hurriedly trying to get all its flyers in the air. About 200 or more wraiths, vikings, 40 science vessels and 6 more battlecruisers took to the skies in record time, hell bent on taking out the unwanted, troublesome guests.

 _The Decebalus's deck, half an hour before dominion reinforcements lifted off._

" Sir, that was the best idea you've ever had!" said a happy Josef, soon followed by the other deck officers. " We've destroyed five minotaur-class cruisers! Not to mention the fact that more than half of their fighters have been downed!"

" Do not jump to conclusions, Josef! Never underestimate your enemy, especially when you do not know what kind of hidden trump cards they might posess! Now, how many loses have we registered on our side?"

After some calculations with the aid of the adjutant, Josef let out an " Uh-oh!"

" What is it?"

" Sir, the missile turrets have done quite a number on our flyers! The cruisers are still ok, but we just lost 42 vikings and 37 wraiths. Add to that the fact that many others have been damaged and are now retreating back to their hangars!"

" Uh-oh, indeed! We don't have neither the numbers nor the facilities produce and replace these kind of losses, not after that fight with the _Queen Bitch of the Universe_! Take our cruiser forward and destroy these pesky little turrets!"

They did just so. The huge battlecruiser approached the meteor turret defense grid. All sorts of rockets started hitting the ship, but the shields stood strong. All batteries aboard the gargantuan ship started raining fire and death upon the grid, disabling and destroying the turrets one by one, two by two and so on, to the point that in less than half an hour, the damned grid was history.

He ordered the other cruisers to proceed with the attack and decimated the remaining units of the dominion blockade. All eleven battleships were organized in a V-shape, with the Decebalus leading the bunch, followed by the two Scorpio-class ships and then the minotaur-class ones with Trevor's Lancaster standing in the middle of the last line. This formation had the innate advantage of deterring enemy attack waves by sheer firepower.

The A.I. started going crazy soon after, however, because enemy reinforcements were inbound, in the form of hundreds of fighters and 6 fresh-out-of-the-can minotaur class battlecruisers.

" This is gonna hurt!" the Admiral conceded.

 _Raynor's base on Braxis at the same time._

Matt Horner's excited, optimistic voice managed to reach everyone's communicator.

" The Argonauts are here! I'm reading 11 battlecruisers and more than enough tac fighters. The Dominion blockade is taking some serious beating while they have yet to lose a cruiser!"

Raynor shot the last enemy firebat thorugh his visor; bull's eye. Turning around to his raiders, he could not help himself but smile and give them a classical: " I've told you so! The guy can be trusted and so can his men, appearently! Now since he took the liberty of decimating the enemy's air force, we must do our part and go for Mengsk's barracks, factories and starports. The sooner we cut his production lines, the sooner the UED remnants will be able to land and help us finish this job with a boom! Let's go!" he then motioned to his men to follow him.

" Yeeeaaeaaaaay!" they shouted back and followed him in his bid to destroy some annoying bases.

Matt Horner was helping them with the map and scans, directing them through the ice canyons and ice valleys that were pure deathtraps for those that would venture in there without any form of outside help. The transmission kept going crazy and normal, back and forth because of the interference. Sliding down a mountain side, they managed to get behind the enemy's first bunker line without being detected; just what he wanted. The storms were, however, a double edged sword, for now he and his troops couldn't be detected by both the dominion and the raider base. They would have to do without Matt.

" Sneaky time, boys! We place the explosives and get to cover. Then we gun down the stragglers!" he ordered them via short wave radio.

For the next few minutes, the Raiders used nearly all of their explosive packages, grenades and whatever else would go boom with but a spark. It was a good idea to paint their CMC power suits white, for they could blend in with the surroundings pretty well. Only thing blue remaining was the tag on their backs and shoulders, but even that could be covered with snow and render them invisible to the naked eye.

Motioning them to hurry, Raynor lead them to an ice trench. Once all of them took cover, he pressed the detonator and blew the entire place to smitherins. The few lucky( or unlucky) enough to survive were rapidly gunned down. The place was clear; crystal clear.

" Time to move forward, guys! We still have a few outlying bases to burn! Hell, when we'll be done, the planet will be a few degrees warmer!" Raynor stated with a grin.

 _The Decebalus's deck_

" Rupă Dumniezo pula în navele lor!" Admiral Andronic swore and was thrown in a nearby wall by the impact.

" Sir, I know it's not the time, but what the heck did you just say?" Josef asked, he himself barely holding himself straight.

" Too ugly to be translated! Get yourselves together men, what's going on with all of you? I want all the walkiries to be airborne in less than ten minutes!

" You heard the Admiral, ladies! Got to your posts asap!" Josef added.

Once the new dominion flyers entered the battle, they attacked from bellow, targeting the soft belly of a cruiser. They went on to destroy laser batteries and even tried to take out the engines. Whoever was leading the bunch knew that it was suicide to take on the Decebalus directly, so they went for the rearguard. One of Trevor's minotaur class cruisers couldn't withstand the continuous pounding and lost power. It then remained at the mercy of deep space. Another battlecruiser that was too brave or too foolish to break formation lunged forward, trying to hunt down the pesky vikings and wraiths. Only problem was that it became a sitting duck for the enemy's yamato cannons. In only a few minutes, it was downed as well. This left Andronic with 9 cruisers, including his, all of them taking quite the damage now. If it weren't for the two Scorpio-class battlecruiers and the Decebalus, his Argonaut fleet would have been toast by now. Luckily enough, the multitude of laser batteries, point defense systems and rocket launchers, was able to keep them alive, for now. Only solution that he saw fit was launching the dreaded walkiries. He had hoped that he could keep them at bay for a time, since not all of them could be so easily repaired, given how fierce the battles of New Sydney and Deadman's Rock were. However, destiny would not give you a reprieve when you need it and you'll have to do something about it.

As promised, in under ten minutes, all 53 availible walkiries were space borne and ready for battle. The enemy flyers certainly did not expect to see waves upon waves of H.A.L.O. rockets coming their way. Perhaps it was better that way, since their death would be easier to endure. Andronic took the Decebalus forward and the other cruisers followed suit. They had to finish off the six enemy battlecruisers that still barred their way to Braxis's surface. Sadly, their energy reserves didn't match the requirements for firing yamato blasts just yet. It would take them at least another hour for just that, time they didn't have. Mengsk was able to bring in backup as soon as this attack was reported. Sure it was reported, the Admiral thought. Why wouldn't it be? Jamming wasn't possible if they were this far from the planet's surface. Hopefully, he could land his troops and do his job before the Dominion main fleet would make its unpleasent appearence.

Spreading their ships, the Argonauts got into position and began their fight with the enemy counterparts. Lasers fired back and forth, from one ship to another, causing mayhem and destruction with an almost annoying repetitive pattern. The Decebalus used a trademark attack, concentrating fire on one side of the ship, trying to slice it in two, while launching the remaining wraiths to apply more pressure.

One by one, the enemy ships were destroyed and so where their flyers. Sadly enough, the price paid by the Argonauts was enough. Thanks to some kamikaze flyers, another minotaur class cruiser of theirs had been destroyed, while the rest of his fleet was in a pretty bad shape.

" I shall take the Decebalus and the Lancaster to Raynor's location. I want the rest of you to gather the survivors and then go to the planet's surface. Take position east of Boralis, about 20 kilometers far, if possible. That way we'll apply pressure from both sides and have a greater chance of succes. Now go, make me proud!" Andronic ordered and then proceeded with the plan.

 _Dominion HQ in Boralis._

" The bastard's done it again! This ain't an ordinary pirate!" general Eugene Tup commented.

" What would you have me do, commander?" Nova asked with a bit of irony in her voice. That was because she only truly answered to her emperor, nothing more, nothing less. If she was assigned to generals or other XOs, that didn't mean she had to like them. Her job would feel and be the same.

" Get me their capital ship's position, NOW!" general Eugene shouted to one of the other officers. The man nearly pissed his pants when he felt the mechanical arm grab the back of his chair. He muttered about ten lines of " excuse me" and then started pinpointing Tamasino's( Andronic's) location.

" Sir, they are entering the atmosphere and are now descending towards Raynor's location!"

" So, they are indeed in league with the pirate! Alright then, miss Nova, you know what to do! Take a ghost team with you and find out more about them. Capture this Tamasino if you can, kill him if you must, although I preffer the former! As for me, I will provide you with a diversionary attack that would keep them unaware of your approach! Was I clear enough?" the general asked, clenching his mechanical left arm, so as to emphasize his point.

Nova, on the other hand, wasn't impressed by his authoritarian speech or by his gestures. She merely gave him a salute and was off to the barracks, where she prepared for the operation.

" Emperor Mengsk will be pleased with my results!" she told herself with a pride tone.

Joined by 15 other ghost operatives, they hopped on their special vultures and took off in the blizzard. If only their enemy would know what kind of dangers were lurking in this arctic hell.

 _Hyperion, Raiders main base on Braxis some time later._

Captain Matt Horner had a nasty situation on his hands. With Jim off to destroying the Dominion's forward positions, they were severely undermanned and vulnerable to repeated attacks, which, by the way, didn't take long to take place. Waves upon waves of marines, firebats and vultures were pummeling their already fragile lines of fortification. One barracks and quite a few supply depots and bunkers had been destroyed. He wanted to use the ship's batteries for ground defense, but they were too close to the surface for them to be operated optimally, so he had to settle for AA defensive capabilities on that part.

" Sergeant, get the reserves and plug that hole in the bunker line! We don't have time to lose!"

Sadly, the continuous pressure that they were subjected to and the fact that Raynor had taken the best troops with him, has left him at a predicament. Scanners indicated a large, incoming dominion attack heading their way with an ETA of 10 minutes.

" Of all the times! Get everyone ready! This might be our last battle!" he ordered, pessimistically, which was most unusual of him.

 _The Decebalus's deck at the same time._

The planet of Braxis was the same as he remembered it; nothing had changed about it since the UED had to retreat from it. A frozen hell, with deep, dangerous ice valleys and canyons, in which ursadons and other beasts were lurking, ready to take a bite out of yea if you were too stupid or unlucky to enter their lair. However, he also knew that the permafrost was hiding gigantic reserves of vespene gas, the main fuel of the Koprulu Sector. Everyone knew that the one that posessed most of the resources would innevitably be the strongest. That is the main reason why the Umojan Protectorate and the Kel-Morian Combine were no match for the Dominion. Also, the protoss, decimated by the zerg's onslaught, would have serious problems if they decided to attack Mengsk's realm. The zerg, on the other hand, couldn't be so easily predicted or stopped, as Andronic and the other proud UED officers found out on their own skins, after they were faced with Kerrigan's assault.

Shaking off the not so pleasent memories, Admiral Marcu Andronic went on to studying the battlefield. It seemed that Raynor gave the enemy quite the beating, given his reduced means of action. Most, if not all, Dominion forward positions have been destroyed. If that grunt managed to pull off such a thing by himself, he could only imagine what he and the rest of his elite Argonaut troops might do.

As Josef took the ship closer and closer to the Raiders's position, the adjutant reported an incoming attack coming from Boralis. About one thousand or more marines, firebats, medics, plus many goliaths and siege tanks were making their way through the last ice valley that separeted the two opposing forces. No way Raynor's guys were going to withstand it.

Andronic tweaked a few buttons along the holo-table and made contact with the Lancaster.

" Captain Trevor, I would like you to get your ship alongside mine and together, we shall rain laser fire upon the enemy!"

" Understood sir! We will commence at once!" Trevor answered and closed the connection.

The Dominion task force didn't expect two giant battlecruisers above their heads. They also didn't have enough time to worry about details, because in less than a minutes, they were targeted by a deadly wave of laser fire and rockets coming from the two flying juggernauts. The goliaths started firing their hellfire missiles at the Lancaster. That and the damage from the other marines and the few vikings that they had at their disposal managed to run down the ship's shields and start to damage it directly.

Seeing the dangerous development, Andronic gave Josef the helm and rushed to the hangar, where he entered his upgraded Royal Goliath. Smiling as the machine incapsulated him, he thought about this battle being the perfect occasion to test his newfound skills, as well as his machine's perks.

He boarded the same hercules transport ship as the Spartan Company's leader, Nikos Constantinis. The greek man was happy to see the commander take the lead in this battle.

" So, you decided to join the fun, sir? I bettcha on a bottle of Ouzo that you'll run screaming for your momma the second shit hits the fan!" the lieutenant colonel said laughing. Andronic, to his credit, managed to deflect the joke rather easiliy and without having a nervous breakdown.

" I'll drink you under the table at any time, you punk! You haven't tried the romanian traditional moonshine " Pălincă"! That stuff will kill you the second you down a mouthful!"

" You and your fancy stories from your old country! Ok, you got me to shut up, so let's continue with the operation!" Nikos conceded.

In only a few minutes, the modified Hercules-class giant transport ships got them to the surface... and into a hailstorm of bullets and rockets.

Exiting the transports, Andronic and the rest of the Spartan Company trained their autocannons on the enemy lines. Lines after lines of bullets were being consumed by their relentless assault, but it finally paid off. Having to fight both them and the two battlecruisers's laser batteries, the dominion troops started retreating. He, however, wasn't intent on letting them get away with it so easily. His Royal Goliath, by now a perfect, harmonized, extension of his body was able to outrun them. He climbed one of the ice mountains with ease, jumping from cliff to cliff, until he got a perfect view of the battlefield. All enemy troops were in range of his autocannons, but he had a surprise for them.

Marcu Andronic fired his Lanzer torpedoes towards a nearby mountain peak. The ensueing explosion provoked a giant avalanche of snow and rocks, that literally crushed the Dominion forces. He took care of the stragglers, personally.

Not too soon after his succes, Raynor hailed him on the comm link.

" Hey man, glad you could make it!"

" You should show more respect to your savior, Raynor!" Andronic replied half ironical. " Where are you now?"

" Close to your position, it's pretty easy to find you, given your humangosaur for a cruiser!" Raynor answered with a chuckle.

After a twenty minute wait, the two forces finally met each other. The man in black colored CMC armor suit was surprised to find his counterpart piloting a goliath of all things. On a closer inspection, however, he found out that the respective mech looked more dangerous than two siege tanks and three goliaths blended together. Andronic even gave him a demonstration of its capabilites, by sommersaulting a few times and by doing other acrobatics that were considered impossible by most engineers and scientists.

" Alright, I admit that your toys are better than mine, but let us continue with the plan, shall we?"

" Thanks! Now, I was thinking of leaving Trevor and the Lancaster behind, so he and his forces may protect the base, while the rest of us lead a direct assault on the bunker line facing us."

" You stupid or what? They've got around 13000 people holed up there, defended by not only bunkers, but all sorts of turrets and machines. My intel tells me that they've got a motherload of siege tanks, goliaths and marauders there, ready to pound our armored asses. I've got a better idea, though. Why not nuke the damned ensemble?"

" Raynor, I took you for a smarter man! Do you know what happens when you fire a nuke at what might very well be a vespene gas dome? BOOOOOM, obliteration! That's what's going to happen! I won't risk taking that sort of action before I receive a detailed description of the gas domes's layout. Period!"

" Nice, just nice! You having the nuclear equivalent of Armageddon in your back pocket and you refuse to use it! Hate to bring it to you, but you aren't on some civilian planet, so the rules may change!"

" Gentlemen, as much as I hate to interrupt you, you have another dominion attack wave coming your way... ETA 20 minutes!" Matt Horner spoke through their shared comm links.

Andronic tensed. So did his machine, something that caught Raynor's attention right away. It was strange that he had that much control over it, but hey, he was talking about Earth-born technology. Who knows what else this guy had up his sleeves. However, Matt's intervention disturbed him. Another attack was something they didn't expect so soon, not after they've decimated the last. The enemy commander was either stupid or suicidal.

" How many hostiles?" Raynor asked.

" I can't give you an...ex...count sir! About... 2500 troops of all kinds. There are also...!" Horner tried to answer but was cut off in the middle of his sentence by the storm jamming the comm links. Raynor couldn't make up that last part, but he heard more than enough to get him on edge. His troops and Andronic's amounted to only 1000, 100 out of which were goliaths combat walkers, the rest being infantery, some siege tanks and ghosts. The rest of their forces were concentrarted at their respective bases, west and east of Boralis. That meant that their task force wasn't about to be reinforced any time soon.

" Don't tell me you're shaking Raynor!" Andronic laughed and fired a bullet into an ice wall behind the rebel commander. The other didn't flinch at all, impressing the former UED captain.

" I'm not, you overgrown piece of scrap! We'll see if your fancy toys are worth their money soon! Now, let's give Mengsk's goons a nasty surprise!" Raynor talked back in his usual cowboy accent, annoying and amusing the Argonaut Admiral at the same time.

In what little respite they had, the two forces managed to set up explosives all along the three narrow corridors that lead to their current position. " The Trident", as they called it, was as good a choke point as any other. The main advantage of the defenders was the fact that the three ways led to an open, round, if slightly inclined valley.

Andronic had a strange feeling that it was more to this incoming attack than they thought. Strangely though, he and the other ghosts didn't feel any psionics around them. That only served to make him more nervous.

Looking thorugh his goggles, he spotted the fast approaching dominion troops. Having retreated his battlecruisers for repair and refuel, the unlucky bastards wouldn't be able to spot their forces. Well, not everyone can be a winner, right?

 _Nova's point of view_

She just received the report from the avantgarde sent by the good general. It seemed that this Tamasino fellow decided to show up and give Raynor a hand. Strangely enough, he even jumped right into the fight, successfully leading a goliath company against the incoming forces. One of the captains leading the dominion attack managed to send a snapshot of the enemy commander in his strange combat walker.

" Oh, well! At least we know how our target looks and operates! A small price to pay in the battle with piracy and Raynor!" she sighed, thankful for that tiny bit of info. To a ghost, every little detail could be decisive for its mission. She pondered if she should outright kill the guy for destroying New Sydney or take him in for interrogation. True, if one could extract incriminating evidence against The Raiders and other rebelious factions out of him, he should very well be kept alive. That didn't mean he must be kept in top shape or in a luxury house, oh no! He would fill in a special little cell in New Folsom, specially designed for the likes of him. However, the final decision belonged to the emperor. His wisdom would surely deliver the fairest of judgements!

She and her other 15 ghosts stopped. They now were a kilometer west of the enemy's last reported location. Therefore, they hid their bikes in one of the ravines and then proceeded to sweep the perimeter. The storm interfered with their devices, rendering them all but useless most of the time. Indeed, she did get a reading from below the mountain, in and around a round valley, but it was rather faint. Still, it was a lead and she had to follow it to the end.

Their white ghost suits blended in well with the environment. Truly, the 16 assasins looked like the etheral creatures that they were named after. Blizzard be damned and all of that, as snow and ice moved back and forth, forming mounds and small ice structures in less than a few minutes.

Nova Terra stopped. She seated herself and concentrated, puting all her psionic might and abilities at work, forming what would resemble a mental antenna, trying to pick up that faint signal again.

" _Damn it, where the devil is that residue energy coming from?"_ she swore in her mind. She was traversing the obstacles, the environment with her spirit, a strange technique she only recently learned on her own. With her heightened senses and a mental map of the place, she could guide her spirit through all that stood in her way. The effort was very straining, especially since she was performing it while trying to hide her already high psi signature from any ghosts or wranglers that the enemy may have. Sweat would flow down her face like a small river, only to be absorbed by the mask. She gritted her teeth nervously, her mind turning around every rock, piece of ice or snow flake that was in the aforementioned area.

" _Come on... come on...! Wait!" she told herself. " There it is, behind that mountain and hidden in what could be a cave!"_ she told the other ghosts via mind link. She got the bastards's location, now it would be a walk in the park. Secretly, she hoped for a challenge, since all her previous targets have proven themselves to be losers, stupid or just unlucky. So, she took her C20 canister rifle in her hands and loaded it with armor piercing bullets.

" How convenient, the general's forces are here to assist us! They will reveal the rest of the enemies for us! Move out and keep a low profile till I give the signal to attack!" she ordered them.

" _Now, it's only a matter of time before I find you, mr Tamasino!"_ Nova spoke to herself.

 _Andronic and Raynor's joint forces._

Although he felt sorry for the bastards, Andronic pressed the button. Counltess explosions followed, thinning the Dominion's forces and restricting the movement of their heavier units, such as siege tanks and goliaths. The infantery, on the other hand, was almost undeterred by the trap he set up, aside from the innevitable casualties, of course. They closed in on his and Raynor's forces from all three corridors, while the engineers were desperatley trying to free their mechs from the rubble.

Once they were in range of his and the Spartan Company's autocannons, they open fired on them. Heavy calibre bullets were piercing their CMC armor suits as if they were made out of swiss cheese. Before they even spotted their attacker, the about three hundred marines and firebats of the Dominion task force were lying dead in the snow, while many others were wounded. That's when he, the Argonauts and the Raiders jumped right in.

James Raynor replaced his Mark 12 sniper rifle with his modded gauss rifle, as the latter was more useful in close quarter combat. He poured a rain of bullets on a few marauders. Afterwards, he was joined by twenty other raiders and they took a diamond shape formation, which they used to much success against the unexpecting resocs that faced them. How he hated the Neural Resocialization Program for turning people, even criminals, into mostly mindless drones, ready to be lead to their deaths like lambs to the slaughte. The resemblance was indeed horrifying, if one should ever experience such a nightmare and come back to his senses. He never, never employed resocs, for they had the nasty habit of being unpredictable and trigger-happy. More and more of his men, and even some of Andronic's, joined the formation, increasing their performance.

On the other hand, the Admiral lashed at the incoming enemy troops. His autocannons mowed down any unlucky bastards that managed to get between his crosshairs. His mech jumped over an ice trench and landed behind the marauder-firebat line that tried to halt his advance. Never expecting that move, they soon regretted coming all the way out here. The backsides of their armors were one of the most vulnerable parts, so few bullets were needed to finish them all off. With a criminal grin on his face and an ever increasing bloodlust, Marcu Andronic turned the mech around, sending a hailstorm of bullets at any moving target that had a red pattern on. One after one, the red dots on his scanners vanished.

" An ocean of souls leaving an ocean of ice! How futile is the life of a puppet, in the hands of the worst puppeteer!" he spoke to himself, rather coldly and contemplating.

It took a moment of inadvertence to remind him that he was on a live battlefield, not a simulation. His Royal Goliath staggered back a few meters, as it tried to get back in shape. A pair of siege tanks entered their siege mode and fired a couple of shells at him. The shields resisted, but the shock was certainly real.

Angered, Andronic didn't even use his goggles, as he mentally adjusted his targeting mechanism and fired a volley of Lanzer torpedoes at the aforementioned tanks. One minute later, the aforementioned vehicles were nothing more than a burning crisp.

But he didn't stop there. He launched even more torpedoes and started sniping down any other incoming siege tanks, goliaths or groups of infantery, with incredible precision. Nikos Constantinis and the rest of the Spartan Company soon joined him in stemming the enemy's advance by firing their own autocannons and rockets, adding power to the already horrid rampage.

What Andronic didn't count on, however, was losing 15 goliath pilots in less than 10 seconds. He turned around and he saw the poor bastards fall to the ground, each of them with a bullethole in their windshields and their heads as well. Beside him, Nikos had gotten lucky and managed to partially dodge the bullet, which went through his arm instead. There could be only one answer to such deadly precision: ghosts!

" We've got ghosts on us, everyone be on your toes, damnit!" he shouted in his microphone. He then felt the presence, an incredibly strong, unique presence, coming from somewhere around that peak to his left. He turned the mech around and fired that way. The shredded body of a ghost fell into a nearby ravine; he was right, yet he felt that he had missed.

Raynor just finished off another group of marines and rushed all those around him forward. He told Andronic that he will press on, no matter what. The Admiral gave him the approval to take most of his men with him and assault the Dominion's western defense line. He and 20 other mechs, plus about 40 men will be staying behind to take care of the unwanted etheral guests.

Marcu Andronic, as his daughter Esmeralda pointed out, had unpredictable, raw, psionic energy in his body. Under certain stress, as Josef pointed out, it will increase his psi index and battle performance. He only worried about his mech handling the pressure, as it was still a prototype and Jolanda warned him not to overuse it.

10 more men were shot down and in return, 2 other Dominion ghosts were turned to guacamole by his goliaths.

Someone very strong, very dangerous just released a psionic lock, letting her energy expand in and around her. It was no doubt about it. With the readings he was getting, it wasn't hard to link the dots and solve the equation: Nova Terra, the highest ranking assassin in the Terran Dominion was facing him. The Admiral cursed himself for keeping only three ghosts with him. The rest followed Raynor in his bid to secure a breach in Boralis's defenses.

Unexpectedly, the feared level 10 operative uncloaked herself 4 meters in front of him. She had her gun's red laser target on him and she briefly removed her mask. He saw a young girl, probably around 17 years old, with wonderful, shoulder lenght blonde hair, shimmering green eyes and a cocky grin on her face.

" There you are mr. Tamasino! You are under arrest, under the accusation of genocide! Surrender now!" she demanded.

 _ **Hello people**_ **! Sorry for taking so long to update, but I'm in my last highschool year and the pressure isn't to be taken lightly. As you can see, I'm trying to keep a weekly update if possible. CURSE THE HIGH SCHOOL AND ITS SEMESTRIAL TESTS!**

 **Big thanks to all those that have read my fanfic! You are the ones keeping me going! Know it! ;)**

 **Also, many thanks to all my reviewers and PM correspondents.**

 **As usual, I am open to suggestions via** **PM** **or** **reviews** **. Do not be afraid to** **speak your mind, my fellow Starcraft fans!**

 _ **Please**_ _ **follow**_ _ **or**_ _ **favorite**_ _ **the story if you like it ;). Seeing it being read gives me the determination to continue writing.**_

 _ **Have a nice day!**_


	13. 13 Tight situation

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own Starcraft, nor do I make a profit from any activity relating with the franchise.

 **Author's note:** _ **First, I would like to thank all my readers for viewing my fanfiction! It is always great to see that people appreciate your work! :)) If you would be so kind as to give your opinion about this story, I would appreciate it. If it got you interested, you can always follow it! ;)**_

 _ **Still, I liked both the game and the story very much. Thus I felt I should develop part of it in a new way. The UED fascinated me and the perspective of a terran remnant group, light years away from Earth, with no chance of going back and having to confront an entire sector seemed to be a good starting point for a story involving both the original characters and some new, unique ones. I will try to stick to the original story as best as I can. However, remember that this is a fanficiton and not everything must go according to the letter.**_

 **Chapter 13:** _ **Tight situation**_

 _Back at Raynor's base west of Boralis_

They were reluctant to leave their Admiral and go to the Raiders's base, but that was his order and they had to obey it. Andronic had the nasty habit of taking things into his own hands, when the situation was too sensible. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he and the other UED officers had been betrayed by Samir Duran and led to their doom by the blindness. That may be it, since the Admiral hated bringing that particular subject up and wanted to avoid it if possible.

Deputee officer Josef Harding was left in command of the western task force of the Argonauts. That meant he had to be the one making the decisions until his superior was back. Esmeralda, as usual, was at his side, although she felt somewhat worried. Something was up, but she couldn't put her finger on it. The duo exited the Decebalus and entered the main Command Centre. There they were greeted by none other than Matt Horner.

" Glad you could make it, mr Harding, miss Esmeralda!" he said, bowing his head slightly. The other two responded to his salute.

" Likewise, mr Horner! How are you holding up?" Josef asked on an official tone.

" The situation was getting out of hand, but, thankfully, you showed up and we managed to get everything back in shape. Our losses are considerable, with almost 200 raiders dead and twice that many wounded. Add to that the fact that we lost most of our mechs during the last fights and you'll have the full picture!" Matt answered with a tragic coldness in his voice. It was clear that he felt sorry, responsible for the deaths of so many comrades. The fact that he knew each and every one of them only served to amplify the pain.

Catching his trail of thoughts, Esmeralda took his hands into hers and tried put his worries aside: " Everything will be ok! Father always knows how to beat the odds, no matter what! And don't forget that Raynor is with him! Those two will scare the saints out of the dominion troops!" she said with a cheer.

" _There you go! You've done it again! You do have a knack at making people feel better!"_

" _Comes with the beauty, my tiger!" she answered to his mental message._

" You are right miss! Now, mr Harding, we will be needing your resources and manpower to reinforce this base and the other one that is in reserve!" Horner regained his composure and was back to his usual captain tone.

" Just tell us what you need and we'll see to it!" replied Josef on a similar tone.

The Decebalus and the Lancaster have been packed-full with resources, provisions and armament, so the Raiders had everything at their disposal. In exchange, however, a significant part of the SCVs was tasked with repairing the two battered battlecruisers.

Since they had some time on their hands, Matt decided to give the pair a tour of the Hyperion. Surprised at first, they agreed. Soon after, they found themselves walking through each and every corridor of Arcturus Mengsk's former flagship, of which's theft Matt was proud. He presented them to anyone that passed by. Surprisingly, Josef and Esmeralda were met with mixed reviews, although the raiders tried to be friendly. Some, as the ghost sensed it, were still mad at the UED for what they've done. On top of that, they blamed them for pushing them into an alliance with The Queen of Blades, which turned out to be a deadly trap in the end. She gave those that doubted her and Josef a mental message with her sincerest apologies. That didn't turn out as she expected, for most were frightened by another powerful ghost operative, again, without showing it directly.

" So -Matt Horner asked-, what have you been doing lately?"

The other two were literally pulled out of their thoughts by his question. It took them a few seconds to come up with an answer.

" Well, besides taking some much needed revenge on that zerg Queen, we are trying to find our own place around here. Going back to Earth isn't an option for us in the near future!" Josef replied with a somewhat sad tone that caught Horner's attention.

" Why is that, mr Harding? I thought returning home was your end goal, is it not?"

" It's... complicated! You do realise that the chances of us being imprisoned or executed for our failure and desertion are over 95%. Apart from that, the journey would be long and perilous and we won't be having someone to watch our back. When we came to the Koprulu Sector with the whole UED fleet, we lost about 7 battlecruisers along the way, without ever knowing what happened to them. Supernovas, black holes, malfunctions, take your pick, Horner. Your guess is as good as mine!"

" Plus, we want to make this sector a better place for humanity, as my father stated!" Esmeralda added, exchanging looks with Josef and Horner.

" So, this Marcu Andronic, your Admiral and father... what kind of man is he?" Horner pressed on, a he lead them to the cantina, but the other two had yet to respond.

The room was quieter than usual, with only Cooper the barman and 17 other raiders in sight, grouped at their usual tables. There was more than enough room for all of them. Matt ordered three light Maitais to be brought to their table in the center of the cantina. Once they sat there, nice and casual, like three friends who have known each other for their entire lives, Josef answered the hanging question.

" I've known him for some time, even before we volunteered for the expedition!"

" You volunteered? I thought you were conscripted, like pretty much anyone in a normal army!" Horner interrupted.

" Yeah, well, some of us had the choice of staying behind and safeguard the Solar system from pirates or go on an adventure to restore humanity's place in the Universe. A pretty easy choice, we thought. Our history together hasn't always been that pleasent. We met in our last year of practice aboard one of the giant academy-class battlecruisers on Jupiter. I was too afraid to take any high responsability positions, so I agreed to being his deputee officer. He, on the other hand, had been trained in the best simulators we had. Be it hand to hand combat, combat walkers, spaceships flying, anything! That is why he received the Decebalus later on, which he himself customised. There were a few instances when I disagreed with him and in return I was either punched or sent to forced containment for a full day, depending on the gravity of my " mistakes". Another time, when we were hunting rebels- how ironic- on the verge of the system, I tried to reason with the enemy and our ships lost power thanks to my blindness. Andronic was the level headed one. he ordered rewiring the mergency power to the batteries and then the rebels were gone, shattered, ended. I learned my lesson and have pondered my words and actions ever since. So, after a long and very unpleasent journey from Earth, we arrived in the Koprulu Sector. The fleet was highly motivated and so was he. His only real objection was working with Samir Duran and trying to use the zerg against Mengsk."

" Duran... Kerrigan's henchman! He was a strange apparition, to say the least. We haven't encountered him since the Brood Wars, thank God! One powerful, sentient, infested human is more than enough to handle!" Matt commented, to which Josef quickly agreed.

" He gave us inside information on Mengsk and even sent an assassination team to hunt him and his son down on Umjoa, but, appearently, they failed. Still, we robbed the Dylarian Shipyards of most of his fleets and then we got our hands on the Psi Disruptor. Augustgrad was next, with capturing Mengsk being top priority!" Josef told him and then stopped, as Cooper brought their drinks. Curious, the argonaut deputee officer took a sip.

" It's the best we've got, though I asked for light ones, since we are both on duty still!" Horner specified, as they made for a toast. " To victory, to the rebelion!" he cheered and the other raiders followed suit with their glasses of beer and what else. Josef gave Esmeralda a meaningful look and then they gave their own cheer: " To victory, to Mengsk's downfall, to humanity!" and they clinked their glasses.

After that moment of patriotism and sudden friendship, they got back at their discussion. After Josef finished his part of the story, it was Esmeralda's turn.

" Well, to be honest, he isn't really my biological father", she began, amazing Horner. " I never knew my true parents. I guess they either died when I was a baby or they abandoned me. By means I still do not know, I ended up in the Confederacy-and later Dominion- Ghost Program. I learned to kill with just my mind when I turned 9 years old. Nasty experiments soon followed, given my high psionic index. I don't want to talk about those things, but i swear to God that if I get my hands on whoever is running the Ghost Academy now, I will..." the silence that followed was very suggestive indeed. " Anyway, when the UED assaulted Korhal, they took out the nuke silos on the outskirts of Augustgrad. Many ghosts were sent to prevent this action, myself not included, and they were wiped out. Sometime later, the Ghost Academy itself became a target. Our commanding officers didn't know we were cut off from any reinforcements and tried to contain the situation by sending every availible agent, including me, against the intruders. I killed several enemies, so have my colleagues. We dodged a storm of bullets, using our cloaking to bypass the intruders and kill them when they did not expect. Marines, firebats, medics, even a few goliaths were down by the time we reached the entrance. Only me and other 4 ghosts were still able to fight, but that didn't deterr us. A few minutes later, a strange goliath mech bursted through the main doors, the shock knocking us out. Lights flickering, our heightened senses dulled, we cloaked again and tried to snipe the bastard. He, however, proceeded to gun us down. I don't know how, but he managed to pinpoint our location and the autocannons did the job. I, for one, wasn't hit by any of the high calibre bullets. Instead, an EMP grenade sent me flying into a wall, all energy depleted. The mech came closer and closer, each of it's steps booming loud in the background of my mind. I was dizzy and I hoped I could get him to kill me quickly. " Kill me!" I muttered to him. But, instead of training his guns on me, he opened the cockpit and then I saw his face. Ghostly pale, just like his eyes, auburn hair and beard. He had a sad expression, though I did not understand why. " YOU HEAR ME? SHOOT ME, DAMN IT! WHAT? ARE YOU DEAF?" I managed to shout before my throat began to hurt as hell. He, on the other hand, descended the mech and jumped out of it, landing next to me. He grabbed my hand before I could hit him and looked my in the eyes. That gaze was strange, almost, etheral. It was as if he was looking through my body, my soul, my mind, my entire being. In the end, he spoke: " Poor child! Left with no one to care for you, you were sent to this awful place to be turned into a mindless weapon. I believe you too do not care for anyone, as you have been thought not to. It's time for a new beginning, little one!" he said extending his hand, which I instinctively grabbed, despite my usual hostility. He took me in his arms and laid me down beside him in the goliath's cockpit. He then started the mech and retreated out of the facility, back to his army's lines. The cursed Ghost Academy lay one kilometer in the distance. " My dear, I believe you would love this!" he said, shaking me. Tired as I was, I managed to open my eyes to witness his men rain a wave of rockets and shockblasts at the complex, leveling it. I smiled and thanked him, before I went back to sleep. I woke up three days later, in a real, fluffy bed, dressed in casual clothes, with him watching over me like a... parent. He has done that ever since!" Esmeralda ended her story with a smile.

Matt Horner was astonished by what she just told him. That confession was golden. It definately proved that he was wrong to misjudge them altogether. He now seriously considered offering them a chance to joinup with the Raiders after this battle. Who knows what their combined effort might achieve, given what each of the groups had been able to do separately. Nevertheless, it was Raynor's decision to make, and Andronic's to accept. That man seemed rather strange, from what he heard and saw. He couldn't put his hand on it, yet it was disturbing.

His communicator beeped. It was the commander, giving him the report. He played it loud:

" Matt, need your help on this one! Andronic gave me most of his forces and am now assaulting the dominion bunker line!"

" Sir, that's reckless! Wait for backup, don't risk yourself and our forces like that!" Matt tried to reason, but he was cut short by Raynor.

" I good; don't need any helping hands! Problem is, Andronic is pinned down by a team of ghosts. I don't think those are normal ghosts!" he said before the transimssion was cut.

" No, they're not!" Esmeralda said. " There's someone very powerful leading them..." she added and began to connect with her father's mind. The effort was straining and Josef had to hold her in his arms to keep her from falling. Finally, she could see and hear what he saw and heard.

The feared operative uncloaked herself 4 meters in front of him. She had her gun's red laser target on him and she briefly removed her mask. He saw a young girl, probably around 17 years old, with wonderful, shoulder lenght blonde hair, shimmering green eyes and a cocky grin on her face.

" There you are mr. Tamasino! You are under arrest, under the accusation of genocide! Surrender now!" the blonde host demanded. Andronic immediatley recognised her as Nova Terra, top killer of the dominion, with level 10 psionics.

Esmeralda came back to her senses. She was shaking and she didn't realise it. It took her a minute to calm herself down, before she could tell them what happened.

Matt ushered everyone to their posts, while Josef and Esmeralda made a run to the Hyperion's deck with him. They didn't have time to reach the Decebalus, for Andronic needed help asap. Once they were on the ship's bridge, one of Horner's officers told them of an incoming transmission. It was Argonaut-coded.

" I'll take it from here!" Josef stated and went on to input the passwords and then a familiar face was on the screen.

" This is Nikos speaking, *cough*, *cough*! Blonde bitch and her team hit us pretty badly! We've lost 20 goliath pilots and many men, while we managed to kill only three ghosts. I believe there are ten or more enemies left, besides her. Sending video stream now; I'm afraid I can't do anything else!" he said, wiping the blood that was running down his left hand.

The mech's camera managed to cover the entire battlefield, including the showdown between the two leaders.

 _Marcu Andronic's perspective._

" Well, this is a shitty situation!" he thought, but Nova interrupted him.

" Shitty indeed, mister Tamasino! Surrender at once and we will spare you your men!" Nova said, her voice as cold as the unending blizzard surrounding the battlefield.

" Oh, right, she can read minds as well! I wonder... Andronic started thinking in romanian, voicing his intentions internally, trying to confuse the other telepath. It worked.

" Că tu proastă, aşa îţi bag una de-ţi sună capul ca un clopot duminica! (Hey, stupid, I'll hit you so hard, that your head will sing like a church bell on a holy Sunday!)" he answered, confusing her even more. Romanian language 1, Nova 0. Now, to try and get himself out of this tight spot. If only he could... oh, right, he never thought of that until now. „ Merită încercat, ce naiba! (it's worth a try, what the heck!)"

 _Nova's perspective._

She finally caught the bastard. There was no way for him to escape, as she already told him. She and her 11 remaining ghosts had his forces in their crosshairs and any attempt to fight or flight would be punished with a bullet to the head. She hoped, for his sake, that he will understand his position and give up, peacefully. His Highness will want to have a word with him, face to face.

Slowly losing her patience with the man, Nova began to read his thoughts. Strangely, it took her a lot of effort to get past his mental barriers. Very few of her targets were ever this resilient when it came to mind probing, but hey, she liked the challenge.

" _Well, this is a shitty situation!" Tamasino thought, scouting the area for a way out._

" Shitty indeed, mister Tamasino! Surrender at once and we will spare you and your men!

" _Oh, right! She can read minds as well! I wonder..."_ that was the last thing she managed to dechipher, because the enemy started thinking out loud in a tongue she could not hope to understand. She was an ace at all the languages and codes in the Koprulu Sector, but this one was foreign to her. She asked her team if they had any idea what the guy meant by: _**"**_ _ **Că tu proastă, aşa îţi bag una de-ţi sună capul ca un clopot duminica!"**_ , but none of them could give her an answer.

In the meantime, Tamasino started giving away chaotic thoughts, some of them in english and others in whatever languages he knew. Her mind was strained to the point that she had to retreat from his mind, as shameful as that may be. Oh, how she would like to torture this guy, personally. That would be her only request to the emperor, after she takes this guy in.

What happened next left her breathless. The goliath cloaked itself, disappearing from view and scans.

„ WHAAATTTT? SINCE WHEN DO GOLIATHS CLOAK?!" she shouted, surprised and annoyed by the prospect of him escaping. She started shooting in every direction that he might have taken to escape. The constant snowstorm covered his tracks and following the giant footsteps was easier said than done. She concentrated all her mind's focus on her auditive and tactile senses, increasing their sensitivity. _„ Somewhere... somewhere... to the LEFT!"_ she thought and then turned around, firing a few armor piercing rounds in that direction.

Multiple metallic groans meant that she hit her target; she never misses when she's hellbent on something. But, to her surprise, the mech didn't show itself. What a damned good cloaking system it had!

„ If he doesn't want to hand himself in, then we will force him to! Kill his underlings, NOW!" Nova ordered her team.

The other ghosts began to execute Andronic's men. All 10 dominion operatives were cloaked, so as not to be shot by daring devils. One by one, slowly and theatriclly, they killed the wounded first.

A minute later, 7 operatives were gunned down by autocannons. Their screams were unlike anything she had ever heard. The terror, the surprise, the fear of imminent death and what else. That was, perhaps, because they were always the hunters and never the hunted.

She gathered the remaining operatives around her and they combined their mental effort so as to pinpoint Tamasino's location. His energy reserves had have emptied by now, since no one could maintain a cloak like that for long. It was only a matter of time before it failed. And then, he would receive his just punishment.

Without her knowing, Nikos Constantinis had sent the order to retreat. Everyone that was able to walk or run away, did just that. He and a few other pilots entered the fight, firing rockets at Nova's last known location.

In response, she and her team turned around, sniping his men, one by one. 5, 4 ,3 ,2, 1 Nikos was alone and was sure to go down. Just then, he remembered that he had two EMP grenades left from his last operation under Castellano. He pressed a few buttons on his command console and the two grenades were loaded into the launchers.

Next thing Nova knew, she found herself on the icy surface, still feeling the stings of the electric shocks she just experienced. Her remaining ghosts have been immediately gunned down; she only escaped by instinctively jumping in all directions so as to evade the autocannon rounds. With but a thought, she threw Nikos's mech into a wall in the distance, the impact disabling the machine, but luckily for Esmeralda and Josef, not the camera feed. Now, she was left with Tamasino. Alone.

„ A valiant effort, mr Tamasino! You are too good to be a pirate. You have military training, that's for sure!" she shouted.

 _Andronic's view_

Marcu Andronic decloaked next to her and gave her a metallic fist to remember. The blond haired ghost was sent into a nearby wall herself, how ironic! The autocannons flared, sending tens of rounds at her, but the feline like agility she posessed allowed her to jump left and right, up and down, avoiding the life threatening, yellow trailed shells. The Admiral then poured even more psionic energy into the machine, activating the two anti-infantery machine guns and coordinating them with the autocannons in an attempt to stop the damned operative.

The valley around them was littered with bullet holes, metal scrap and frozen bodies and blood. The once blue, almost serene hell was now painted red. The two psionic warriors clashed yet again, Nova unsheating an experimental energy sword which could bar bullets as well as his mech's fists.

Andronic receded his goliath's right armcannon, turning the limb into an almost human-like arm. He then proceeded to grab the unexpecting ghost and squeeze her like the mindless toy she was.

„ I don't take kindly to being threatened like that! Nor do I surrender when so many of my comrades have been killed by a team of psionic drones, like yourselves! Do not worry, though, me and Mengsk will meet again, in the future! I am sure he would „DIE" to see me and, probably after our meeting, I will give you the shovel to bury him! You'll have the honours, but, until then, let me show you what I can do!" he said and he smashed her to the ground.

„ **I will not cower in the face of my enemy! Never! NEVER!"** Nova shouted, getting back up. She was gathering her psionic powers. A tremendous amount of energy was forming into what by all means was the biggest psionic storm he had seen; even Esmeralda's couldn't hope to compare with this.

Deciding not to give up or run in the face of danger- or death-, Andronic activated his rockets and targeted Nova's position. With some luck, they would cause a feedback and her attack would be stopped or reduced in size.

He concentrated on filling a few rockets with his unstable psionic energy; the rest were left like they originally were. Watching the empowered ghost join her hands, he knew that this was the moment of truth. Removing the safety of the rocket launchers, he hoped for the best and he pressed the button.

No one could accurately describe what happened. Andronic and his Royal Goliath were projected into a nearby mountain, cleaving an entire valley in it along the way. If he was to guess, he would say that he was about one kilometer deep into the mountain. Well, at least the surroundings provided some measure of protection. When he tried to move the mech, however, it didn't respond to his commands. He tried to infuse it with energy, but he was almost out and still it wouldn't respond. Now he really hoped that she was off worse than him!

 _James Raynor, after their run in with the ghost team._

He was glad that those Argonauts had professional military training. Otherwise, he might have had many problems by leading them against the dominion, instead of giving Andronic a hand. Still, they had a mission to finish and both of them understood that. That's why he was given command of the combined forces, about 800 to 900 people in total. He would make the most of what he had at his disposal. He even put Matt's offer of help aside. The „ Admiral" will need it in his fight with the ghosts.

Looking at Boralis's western defense line, he quickly came up with a plan. A few minutes prior, one of his Argonaut goliaths informed him that their colleagues east of Boralis have begun attacking the other line of defense. They were encountering heavy resistance and the dominion general facing them started sending in the reserves.

„ Good! This way, we'll be giving them a kick in the ass to remember! Come on, men, we have a job to do!" Raynor shouted through his comm and then went to the front of their forces.

Using the siege tanks they had at their disposal, the joint attack force led by Raynor manage to create a breakthrough, which they immediately exploited to the fullest. Still, they had a long and difficult way ahead of them and they needed something to pummel the compact base and its defenders.

Suddenly remembering what Andronic had said, he asked the few scientists and field engineers if they could accurately pinpoint the location of any vespene gas domes around them or upfront.

It took time and a lot of effort to protect them while they were doing their job, but it finally paid off when they received the results. Raynor himself took a good look at them, before deciding to call the Hyperion for backup.

 _The Hyperion's deck._

Matt Horner was relieved to see that his commander was alright and kicking ass. After a brief report on their progress, Raynor submitted the field analyzis of the ground underneath Boralis. It seemed that most of the gas domes were located to the southeast and northwest of the capital city, with minimal deposits inside the dominion base. That meant only one thing.

„ Raynor, I will grant you a warrant to paint any targets you want nuked!" said Josef, as he relayed the report to captain Trevor. You've got four normal nukes at your disposal, as we will not use the big one without the Admiral's consent. You may proceed!" he added and then the transmission ended.

„ We have to get a sizeable rescue team to recover the Admiral!" Esmeralda stated. „ We will need many troops, just in case there are any other dominion surprises. I'm going to lead a ghost team myself!"

Josef was adamant in his refusal to let her participate in this rescue operation. Apart from the fact that she may endanger herself and her baby, she would, no, they would, incur her father's wrath. That certainly scared the saints out of both of them, now that they found out that he had psionic powers.

„ No sweat, cowboys, I'll get down there and recover your guy! We owe him for saving our butts back there and he'll probably need help repairing that mech of his!" Rory Swann offered. „ Is that ok with you Matt boy?"

„ Of course Rory! You may take as many troops as you deem necessary!" Horner answered.

„ Wait! I'll send my own chief engineer with you! Not that I don't appreciate the help, but she was the one to customize that Royal Goliath and her knowledge will be useful!" Josef added, before Rory gave his usually optimistic salute and he left.

 _Nova's point of view._

„ _**Am I dead? Those lights surrounding me... is it that fabled white tunnel at the end of everyone's life? At least... I can hear my thoughts and they are... quiet... peaceful, like the world around me!"**_ _Nova spoke to herself as she walked through the strange place. That wasn't Braxis, that's for sure. With every step she took, she was experiencing random flashes of images, unknown to her until now. A little blonde girl was waling through the halls of what appeared to be a small palace or a very luxurious residence, with marble floor and walls, countless...Confederacy flags... many people, including some she recognized but couldn't remember their names. She motioned to them, tried to talk to them, but they just wouldn't see her, hear, as if... she was dead, a ghost, of etheral kind. Who were they? What were they doing here, before her very eyes? They had to be someone dear to her and that place... it seemed so... familiar... as if it was a part of her life..._

 _An excruciating pain flooded her soon after she sighed. It was as if 2000 bullets hit her body all at once. It hurt as hell, her pain sensors were pushed over the limit; so was her resilience. Still, she couldn't keep quiet because it simply was too much. She screamed. She screamed like she hadn't in her entire life. Her voice was high pithced. Her throat hurt..._

Something or someone covered her mouth, silencing her to some degree. Not too soon after, her body experienced more pain, as what she counted as 100 needles pierced it at once. But, to her surprise, her mind was starting to depart the white tunnel she previously embarked upon. Even opening her eyes hurt, but she forced them open. Braxis's light, as diffuse as it was, still blinded her for a bit. Blinking repeatedly, she managed to discern who was beside her.

„ Sss...iii..rrr! General!" were the few words she managed to speak.

Indeed, in front of her was none other than general Eugene Tup, who had just administered her 10 field healing syringes. The empty medical box lay somewhere to the right. He looked genuinely worried and was checking her for other grievious injuires with his, cold as hell, mechanical hand, on which he installed a scanner.

„ Shuush, my dear! Don't strain yourself and don't move if you can! You were on the verge of dying and we don't want to tempt fate again, now do we? No, don't nod, just blink twice if you understand and thrice if you don't! Understand?"

As she blinked twice, he called a few medivacs to evacuate him, his team, Nova and another 42 wounded that have survived until now. She was amazed that the man had come after her, after she treated him like dirt. Her arrogance was known among the higher-ups of the dominion officer corps and he was no exception. The question remained. Why?

„ W...h...yy?" she managed to mutter, getting his attention immediately.

„ I told you not to speak, for it will only hurt you!" he said on a worried tone. He then added: „ But, you are right to ask. Theoreticly, I had no reason to save you and your team since you didn't request backup. I was covered by the dominion military code under article 189/2502 and I quote: „ With regard to ghost teams, commanding officers are to support them with anything they request and ensure they have all necessary means to finish their missions. However, if the ghost team acted recklessly, did not heed instructions, did not request reinforcements when needed or if they deserted, the commanding officers will not be held accountable by any court." So you see my dear, I could have easily abandoned you to die for you lack of respect. Incredible as it may seem, I ALWAYS check the background of my subordinates and you, my dear, certainly deserve a second chance! That's why I saved you!"

Nova was dumbstruck by the general's words. That was the last thing she had expected him to say, not to mention to do. She really, really underestimated him and took him for a stupid, if not somewhat perverted officer, like most she had worked with. He mentioned her background, but she didn't remember much about her childhood and early teen years. Perhaps it was due to the mandatory memory wipes. Curiosity got the better of her and she decided to ask him about what he knew when she was in a better state than now. Talking here and now seemed too inappropriate. Another question was bugging her though:

„Tamas...ino?" she muttered and then coughed up drops after drops of dark red blood.

„ Good gracious, dear, just stop! Do that again and I'll fully sedate you!" he replied angrily before he sighed, calmed down and answered her question. „ You see...

 _Some time before Nova started dreaming._

Admiral Marcu Andronic was in a very vulnerable position. If any surviving dominion troops decided to end him, he would be poweless to stop them. He had no choice but to try and relax, maybe get some sleep. He did just that.

Later, he couldn't exactly say when, he was awoken by a familiar grumpy face.

„ Mr. Swan! Thank you for coming!" he said, weakly; even weaker than he expected.

„ You've been roughened up pretty bad, cowboy. Don't you worry, though, we'll be getting you ouuta here as soon as possible. Jolanda?" Rory said and then turned to the figure behind him. A special SCV was already dismantling the Royal Goliath and he didn't even notice. He certainly needed some sleep, prefferably in his comfy bed aboard the Decebalus.

After some hard work taking the mech's cockpit apart, Jolanda and Rory managed to free Andronic and get him back on his feet. Although staggering at first, he was able to walk on his own back to the battlefield. He neded to ascertain the situation. While the trio were underway, Jolanda and Rory informed him on what happened since he passed out, including the fact that Nikos and the other survivors had been succesfully evacuated to Raynor's base, where they were treated for their injuries.

Glad that he managed to save them, Andronic walked up an icy peak, where he could finally see what mayhem he and Nova caused. The valley was literally destroyed, broken into more than a million pieces and shards of ice, rock, metal and what else. The five mountains that enclosed it have been turned into craters. Piles of rubble could be spotted here and there, along with countless bodies that were about to be completly frozen by the relentless blizzard. To the left, in the distance, surrounded by small mounds of ice and snow, lay Nova Terra, level 10 dominion ghost. She was out cold, which most people might regard as impossible.

Against all recommendations, Andronic closed in on her, warily , if anything. Still, she didn't react. It was only when he saw the small, dark red, pool of blood underneath her did he realise why. She was dying.

„ Oh, how I hate situations like this! Being torn between your empathy and reality!" he spoke to himself. If only he could read her mind to see if she was really a cold hearted killer or not. Alas, their fight left him powerless. His energy levels were so low, that he wasn't able to the the most basic of psi abilities.

Fighting the urge to take his handgun and kill the girl right there, he removed her communicator and called the dominion HQs.

„ Agent Nova, report your status, now!" someone, most likely her commanding officer, answered.

After coaching his accent a bit to match his other „ personality", Andronic began:

„ Hello, general Eugene Tup! I am sure you have heard of me! I am captain Tamasino !"

„ Son of a bitch! It's YOU! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH NOVA?" the other shouted back.

„ Calm yourself down, general! Incredible as it may seem, I have defeated your assasination squad; Nova Terra as well. While I have killed the other ghosts, she is still alive, though barely!"

„ And what do you intend to do? Use her as a bargaining chip? The Dominion doesn't negociate with terrorists, especially those responsible for genocides, LIKE YOU!" Eugene Tup spat back through the communicator.

„ Such a powerful psionic like her is hardly something you can let go, general! I believe she would be useful in the fight against the zerg, should you chose not to forfeit her life for the sake of your and your superiors's pride! Now then, if you would send a team to pick her up and take her away, I would permit it! Try to attack us, though, and you will suffer dire consequences! The decision is yours!" Andronic kept the pressure on.

After some time, three of the new dominion transport and healing ships, dubbed medivacs, arrived close to the former battlefield. Andronic put on his mask, so he wouldn't be recognized by any of the enemy troops. He gave them a quick glare and he spotted 50 marines, 12 firebats, 20 field medics and three ghosts. Last man to leave the medivac in the middle was surely the general.

Closing in the distance between them, to less than 20 meters, Tamasino ( Andronic) spoke:

„ As I have promised, she is still alive and I suggest you to take her and whatever wounded have survived out of here asap! I'll even give you a tip: evacuate the planet before you are overrun! Do that and we will not endanger your retreat. Choose to remain and you will regret it!"

Clenching his mechanical fist, general Eugene Tup swallowed a thousand possible swearings. He was at a loss here, no matter how he looked upon the matter. He would either break the dominion codes and possibly brand himself as a traitor by helping Nova or he could risk letting her to die by attacking Tamasino or by leaving. The only question was why this guy was so intent on saving this particular ghost agent. The fact that Nova almost killed him didn't seem to bother him. That only reinforced his belief that this guy wasn't a mercenary but rather a military commander of great skill whose loyalties remain undetermined. He would put in all his efforts into finding whom he belonged to. Looking around, he understood that he wouldn't be able to take this guy on here and now, so the most smart thing to do was save Nova, even though she didn't really deserve it.

„ This will not end here, mr Tamasino! We will be taking Nova away, so, during this time, we will give you a period of reprieval! Remember that it will be a short one!" he said with poison in his voice. You cannot forgive the man responsable for losing your arm, after all!

„ I wouldn't think any less of you, proud dominion general! I only wish I could see the day you serve a just cause, not a corrupted emperor, who really is responsible for genocide! Farewell!" Andronic said and then he and his forces were evacuated via transport ships.

General Eugene Tup turned to Nova. It was as if another person lay there, not the bragging, incredibly dangerous girl he had to put up earlier today. He couldn't understand how she was defeated, but the emperor will certainly wish to hear her story at the earliest notice.

Still, she seemed so peaceful. She was not too different from a normal teenager. Her face looked... peaceful, for lack of a better word. Whatever she was dreaming had to be either pleasent or nice enough to keep her attention from the excruciating pain she was subjected to.

„ Ah, agent Nova Terra, if only you would know how much you suffered throughout your entire life! One cannot simply sniff around a hidden biography such as yours. Still, I'm not just somebody. That you couldn't have known when you treated me like shit!" he said and then opened the medical field box. He took four syringes and administered them one by one in each of her arms and legs. „ The pain you will now experience is only a small compensation for what you've most likely caused to other people! It will burn your body, while it will bring you back to life! Cherish the pain, dreaded ghost, and return to me!" he added as he continued to administer the healing serums.

The horrible screams that followed flooded the surrounding valleys and peaks, causing avalanches.

 _James Raynor, after receiving Josef's confirmation._

„ Alright boys and girls, I want you to plant those explosives as of now and move forward. All ghosts are to try and infiltrate the main base and paint the targets of utmost importance. We will nuke them afterwards!" he ordered them.

Their combined forces and resilience proved too much for the dominion defenders. Only through their sheer numbers and fortifications did they manage to slow Raynor's advance. The Argonaut goliaths were adept at fighting both air based and ground based enemies, so they alone were able to destroy most of the remaining vikings and wraiths. Bullets, grenades, lasers and rockets were flying everywhere in an endless death-bringing storm that engulfed them all. Innevitably, there will be casualties on the raider-argonaut side too, but that was to be expected and they accepted that fact long before this particular fight.

Raynor ducked behind the remains of a bunker. He looked around, spotting a team of marines converging on his position. Lucky for him, some reckless SCVs left a pile of barrels filled with vespene gas inbetween the two forces. This advantage was too good not to be exploited.

Arming a fragmentation grenade, Raynor threw it into the pile, causing a massive explosion that took out the team of marines. „ That'll teach the bastards not to mess with us!" he shouted through his comm link.

His troops marched forward relentless. They left a see of blood red, snow covered bodies that would serve as a most delightful banquet for the ursadons, once they will leave this planet for good. One might argue that they should feel some kind of remorse, but the resocs that they were facing were simply unable to comprehend reason. Apart from obeying commands and pulling the trigger, 75% of them couldn't do anything else.

„ Commander, the targets have been painted!" the ghost lieutenant reported with his usual ice cold, if not robotic voice.

„ Everyone fall back to the bunker line now! This place is going kablooey! NUKE EM!" Raynor said and then joined his men's retreat.

It took the nukes aproximatively 10 minutes to reach the area, more than enough for their forces to retreat out of the fire zone and take cover. The mayhem that followed made Armageddon look like a cheap fairy tale. The main city of Boralis was literally razed to the ground, oblitterated in all its sense. What remained of the formerly strong dominion base was its outlying starports and supply bases. Anything else was simpy no more than a crater of nuclear origin.

„ Mission accomplished! The dominion just had its ass kicked to heaven and back! Now let's just take whatever equipment they still have and be on our way!" Raynor ordered and his group did just that.

 _One hour later..._

General Eugene Tup was glad that he took so many of his troops and personel with him, because all but some of those that remained at the base were dead, obbliterated. Raynor and that son of a gun Tamasino did it again. He, on the other hand was alive and so were about 200 other dominion forces. They needed immediate evac if they were to fight another day... that is, if Emperor Mengsk won't just outright kill them when they'll meet with the bulk of the fleet. It was his second chance, capturing the rogue captain Tamasino, and he blew it away. He hoped and prayed to all the gods he knew and didn't know that he would be granted another chance... or another job, at least. Fate had a habit of sending him to the most shittiest of places at the most shittiest of times!

Looking at the young, blonde ghost sleeping int the medivac's only „deluxe" bed, he couldn't hope but wonder what Mengsk will do to her. He, and by that he meant his underlings as well, probably erased her memory countless times and had sent her to assasinate countless people that opposed the government. True, openly rebelling and causing mayhem during insecure times like these, when the Queen of Blades is poised to strike was both stupid and irrational, at least in his opinion.

He sighed. What he wouldn't give to return to his home planet of Korhal III! His familiy is one of the most influential factors of decision on that planet, practically running the things. His parents were both members of the Dominion High Senate, the parliment's only chamber. His two brothers were also more or less politicians or tied to politics and his smaller sister was to become CEO of their father's commodity distribution chain. He alone had a thirst for justice, for serving with rightousness, that being the main reason he signed up for the military.

„ _Look where my devotement got me! I lost my left hand and two planets that I had been tasked to protect! If this doesn't get me to the head chopping block...!"_ he thought but just then Nova moved in her sleep and a short electrical shock surged his body. It was strange... relaxing, just when he needed it.

„ _Why thank you my dear! That got me out of my momentary misery!"_ he spoke in his mind, while looking at her body. She mumbled somthing in return. Well, at least he managed to save her life. He wondered where the other part of the fleet was. It was supposed to patrol the Braxis system and the Brontes system by rotation. They should have been here to help with the defense and yet they weren't anywhere to be seen.

As the medivacs descended at the only starport that was left unoccupied, he was thinking about a way to escape to the friendly planet of Braxis Alpha. It was the closest dominion held planet but it didn't have too many military installation, because Braxis served for that purpose... until a few hours ago. Luckily for them, the civilian starports were well equipped for interstellar travel and that was what they needed... plus a few days of rest.

Scouting the remains of this small base, he looked to the skies with hope in his eyes. He had a feeling that things were to be balanced any time now.

 _The Hyperion's deck_

Matt Horner had called this meeting in order to plan how they should proceed. The vespene gas domes that were west and east of what had up until now been Boralis have been exploited to the maximum. They just couldn't carry more. Only remaining problem was repairing and leaving this planet before any dominion reinforcements showed up.

The doors hissed open and Admiral Marcu Andronic of the Argonauts stepped in, feets still staggering because of the post-battle stress he experienced. Everyone in the room, including Matt, Josef, Esmeralda, Trevor and the rest of the officers bowed their heads and then bursted into cheers and wild applauses. He felt very much overwhelmed by this gestures. One after one, they shook his hand vigurously and patted his shoulder as if they have been lifelong friends.

„ That was one hell of a battle sir!" one of the officers said.

„ Yea, you litterally kicked that blondie's ass!" another stated, all smiling.

„ She's a hell of a vixen! Determined level 10 killer, I tell you!" yet another told him.

Esmeralda felt ashamed by the fact that everyone here was underestimating her abilites and decided to speak her mind about it. Her shouts and nerves silenced them and Andronic was thankful for her outbreak. She then outright hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, like the true daughter she was. Josef then shook his hand and, surprisingly, he took out a... medal of blood red, golden and ocean blue colours and pinned it to his chest.

„ As commander of our forces in your absence, I must grant you this medal for your incredibly daring, if not stupid, bravery! Wear it with pride, sir!" he smiled.

Andronic was at a loss of words. He had recovered enough energy to read his deputee officer's mind and see how hard they've worked on it so that it would be done in under an hour. He could aslo read that the others were anxious to see his reaction.

„ Thank you! Thank all of you for being with me in my time of need! I couldn't have asked for better associates than you, raiders! And I certainly couldn't have hoped for a better family than you, Josef and Esmeralda!" he said and then pulled the pair into an embrace. „ But, do not let that get to your heads! You are still my subordinates and are expected to behave as such! Was I clear enough?"

The audience around him responded with a sound „ SIR, YES SIR!" that made him smile proudly.

But, as always, good moments had to last only for short periods of time.

Alarms started going haywire. Redlights were flooding the Hyperion, not just the deck, informing everyone onboard of the imminent threat looming over their heads... literally.

„ Warning, dominion fleet just warped in! Counting the hostiles... 25 battlecruisers, 17 out of which are minotaur class!" the Adjutant gave its report.

„ People, we're in deep shit now! We must prepare ourselves! I want everyone to start getting our forces aboard our spaceships! And get Raynor aboard at once!" Andronic retook his usual battle stance.

As quick as possible, the Argonauts returned to their respective ships. Once aboard the Decebalus, the Admiral contacted the other part of his forces and told captain Leonard to get his men fly worthy in less than 15 minutes, for they had to be ready for an attack.

 _After about 20 minutes of febrile work._

His good old battlecruiser started its engines and began to lift off. The Lancaster followed suit. The Raiders were able to gather their forces quicker than anyone could have imagined. Guess they were experienced in hit and run situations like this. The few time they had on their hands did not allow them to repair much of their space fighters. Lucky for them, Raynor had captured quite the number of vikings and wraiths from the outlying spaceports of Boralis. All the engineers gave them a new paintjob and changed the codes to match their respective forces. Still, it might not be enough in the wake of the dominion onslaught.

„ If we go down, we do it like true terrans, not weaklings!" the Admiral spoke to everyone through his communicator. „ We've faced threats that would have turned others around and running and we have come out victorious! I only ask you to trust yourselves, myself and our strenght and determination shall be no match for those resocs pussies!"

The shouts of confirmation only served to raise the already high morale among his men. They managed to blow up Boralis... again. Few people could match their realisations. The Argonaut- Raider fleet numbered 12 battlecruisers, most of which weren't minotaur class, but that did not deterr them.

As another 20 minutes went by, they made contact with the enemy and the second space battle above Braxis began. Waves upon waves of lasers and rockets were being sent against the dominion flyers. Walkiries practically owned the no man's space between the two opposing sides. Andronic felt relieved that they managed to get most of them back in shape, for they really needed their area damage H.A.L.O. rockets now. Yamato cannons fired and three dominion cruisers were shot to pieces, while those around them suffered considerable damage. Even so, the Argonaut-Raider force was taking heavy casualties and they just lost two other minotaur class cruisers and one of the raider behemoth class cruisers was about to follow in their footsteps when 16 battlecruisers suddenly warped in and fired their yamato blasts at the unsuspecting enemy. The combined firepower of the Argonaut-Raider joint force and the newly arrived task force made short work of the dominion fleet, forcing it to warp jump out of there.

Counting the trails left behind by their warp engines, Josef drew the line: 15 dominion battlecruisers down, 6 severly damaged and others, more or less so. Looking back at their own forces, he registered the grave losses that came with losing those two minotaur class cruisers and the men manning them. They would be given full honors for their sacrifice!

Meanwhile, their would be rescuer gave them a video call. Tweaking a few knobs on the holo-table, Josef patched him through and was taken by surprise... like pretty much everyone else.

„ Missed me, didya?" Schnitt smiled like the brave and loyal fool he was. To think that this guy would come to their rescue, when he had so many occasions to betray them.

„ You dear, stupid, daring devil! I don't know what to say!" Esmeralda answered him.

„ You could admit that you like my good looks... and my badass atitude!" he smiled back mischievously. That's Schnitt for sure, always flirting with Josef's girl.

„ In your dreams, asshole!" she shot down his idea while showing him the middle finger.

„ My dear- Andronic interrupted-, what did I teach you about swearing? It's rude to be like that, especially towards our friend and saviour!"

Everyone was just glad that the former kel-morian did not betray them and, what's more, even managed to take care of things back home and come to their rescue. Raynor, Matt Horner and even Rory Swan- as much as the latter hated to admit it- changed their perception towards Schnitt and the men that are serving under him.

As they warp jumped out of that place towards a random location, little did they know of Schnitt's hidden intentions. He had plans, big plans, and they will help him bring them to conclusion... lest they would regret it!

 _ **Hello people**_ **! Sorry for taking so long to update, but i don't want to rush things and make this story look unrealistic. As some might have noticed by now, the word count of each chapter is slowly increasing and that is one of the reasons behind the wait period.**

 **Big thanks to all those that have read my fanfic! You are the ones keeping me going! Know it! ;)**

 **Also, many thanks to all my reviewers and PM correspondents. Some of you had really good ideas that I have implemented and I am grateful for them.**

 **As usual, I am open to suggestions via** **PM** **or** **reviews** **. Do not be afraid to** **speak your mind, my fellow Starcraft fans** **!**

 **I am sure you are full of good ideas and are just waiting to put the pen on paper, metaphorically, of course!:))**

 _ **Please**_ _ **follow**_ _ **or**_ _ **favorite**_ _ **the story if you like it ;). Seeing it being read gives me the determination to continue writing.**_

 _ **Have a nice day!**_


	14. 14: The Shortest of Respites

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own Starcraft, nor do I make a profit from any activity relating with the franchise.

 **Author's note:** _ **First, I would like to thank all my readers for viewing my fanfiction! It is always great to see that people appreciate your work! :)) If you would be so kind as to give your opinion about this story, I would appreciate it. If it got you interested, you can always follow it! ;)**_

 _ **Still, I liked both the game and the story very much. Thus I felt I should develop part of it in a new way. The UED fascinated me and the perspective of a terran remnant group, light years away from Earth, with no chance of going back and having to confront an entire sector seemed to be a good starting point for a story involving both the original characters and some new, unique ones. I will try to stick to the original story as best as I can. However, remember that this is a fanficiton and not everything must go according to the letter.**_

 **Chapter 14:** _ **The shortest of respites.**_

 _On the planet of Braxis Alpha._

General Eugene Tup and the survivors of the Braxis battle exited the shuttles. Looking around, he spotted the welcoming committee of Dardanya, the planet's main city and starport. 50 marines, a few medic, firebats and even two ghosts formed governor Saoudi's escort. The not so tall man with brown complexion, black eyes and moustache tried to compensate for his appearence by using pompous suits, escorts, decorations. As he stepped closer with a strange grin on his face, general Tup wanted to slap him, but he knew he had to keep his anger in check. After all, you don't outright punch your potential host in the face, now do you?

" Nova hasn't recovered yet! Damn! I am at a disadvantage here! The guy has ghosts that could very well read my mind, while he can weave the best lies in the universe without me knowing how much truth there is behind his words!". He had every right to be worried. By saving the now peacefully sleeping and partially healed ghost from certain death, he put himself under the incidence of the military code. Anyone with the right to compose a martial court would be able to " interpretate" the rules and have him killed.

Closing his eyes, he drew a deep breath, as he pushed those thoughts aside and confronted the man that was by now standing in front of him.

" Greetings, governor Saoudi! It pleases me to see that this place has escaped destruction!"

" Indeed, general Tup, we have been most fortunate that the enemy targeted the planet you were defending. I see that only a token of your force remains!" he pointed out with his deep voice. That voice became more accusing as he continued: " Why are you still alive?"

" What do you mean by that, governor?" Eugene clenched both his arms, getting tense.

" Because... you had a damned fleet and three legions behind you... for the second time, and somehow you managed to lose to Raynor and his scumbags! If that wasn't shameful enough to mandate a honorable suicide on your part...!"

" Suicide? Are you out of your mind? There was nothing honorable going on back there! The guys used walkiries, modified battlecruiser with unknown technology, 6 nukes and three legions of tip top troops. Heck, even my best ghost, OUR best ghost was defeated by Raynor's partner-in-crime, captain Tamasino!"

The tension filled the air, guards on both sides raising and arming their weapons, ready to pounce on each other at the slightest sign of trouble. The two commanders did not break the stare for more than a few minutes. Eugene Tup was able to catch the two ghosts small, quick movements. There were signs, although he did not understand them. Still he tried to close his mind while he maintained the glare. Finally, it was Saoudi that backed down, if only for now.

" Have it your way, general! Come with me! We will contact the emperor and he shall decide your fate! If he grants you another chance- as surreal as that sounds- then you'll get the means to travel back to Korhal IV. If not... I know of a few ways to end one's useless life...creatively!" he spoke with much disdain.

Throwing him another ugly glare, the general answered: " Then, so be it! I will be back in an hour!" he said and then went back to his ship.

" Don't take too long! I like to end this unexpectedly annoying encounter as soon as possible!" the governor added with a laugh on his end, before he himself retreated.

 _Meanwhile, on Aiur's moon, Saalok._

Rosemary Dahl groaned in pain. Their journey had been a long one, especially with all those dominion patrols running about and guarding the protoss border. Maybe a war was going to happen, or perhaps some skirmishes took place between the two races. Such encounters have been common in the last years, as there was no peace treaty or armistice signed. Though less dangerous and apocaliptic than the zerg race, the protoss have proven themselves to be quite ruthless when it came to purging zerg infestations, even going to the point of glasing or blowing up entire planets. Also, one must be wary of not stepping on their toes when it came to their honour. From what Ramsey/Zamara told her- and from what she already observed on the female preserver residing inside her colleague's mind- the so called honour code and the Khala are the two main factors that keep that alien society together. She also mentioned another sect, named dark templars. Those were not connected to the Khala and instead used the powers of the Void to aid them in battle and everyday life. Their home plant of Shakuras looked like a dark blue and purple jewel, be it during day or night.

Slowly gathering herself up, she searched around for her companion/s. After her blurry vision stablisised, she spotted Jake in a corner, all curled up. Nervous as per her nature, Dahl closed in on him and kicked him a few times, each blow stronger than the previous. Finally, the scientist awoke.

" Hey, stop it! What's that for?"

Her eyes were burning with rage. She grabbed him by the collar and lifted him into the air. Her arm trembled because of the effort, but still, it had the desired effect.

" Your piloting, you dumbasses! I'll use the plural since I don't know whichever of you is the one who rammed us into an asteriod belt when we made our 4th escape! Damn it! It hurts like hell!" she said and then threw the man into a chair, while she herself took a seat and massaged the many bruises on her arms and shoulders.

" _**It's not my fault, you inferior being! Were it not for your people's blockades, I wouldn't have had to resort to evasive actions! Next time you speak, Rosemary Dahl, be sure to think your words**_ _ **very carefully**_ _ **!" Zamara spoke with bitterness in her tone.**_

" They're not my people, you weirdo! Get that into your psionic, bullshit filled head, you hear me? Uhhhhhhhhh! At least we made it to the damn planet!"

"Uh, Rosemary? We aren't actually on Aiur! This is Saalok, Aiur's one and only moon!" Jake corrected her as he tried to get the ship back to life.

" Oh, you've got to be fu**ing kidding me! Of all the things you could say... GET US OFF THIS PLANET BEFORE I KILL BOTH OF YOU!"

Ramsey felt like shit right now. Her voice had this distinct quality of making people cower in fear, when she was shouting. There were other times, when he thought her voice was next to angelic- that was, when she was calm and thoughtful, as rare those moments have been. So, after he let her calm down for a bit, he began to fix the onboard computer. Cut wires, rewire power, dissassemble tens of small metal pieces, clean up the ventillation, run power tests, replace burned parts...

(...)

(...)

After about three hours, he was finally done. In due time as well, as his companion was just about to lose her patience. Even though all she did was lick her wounds and play with her balisong knife. How convenient!

Jake pressed the main buttons and the whole cockpit lit up. He then began to reboot the A.I. so that it would detect any other damages.

" Adjutant online! Welcome pilot! What is your command?"

" Scan for any serious damages!" he answered seriously.

" Scanning... two power cells have been almost depleated... fuel leekage had occured a few hours ago, but the emergency doors took care of it... one of the engines has suffered minimal damage, but it needs to be fixed, otherwise the fuel might cause an explosion... utmost care is advised!"

The duo(trio) frowned. That was just about the last straw! They had no other choice but to give it their best in fixing the damn thing. It took them a surprisingly short 5 hours to remediate the issues. And with that, Stewart's old system runner was back to life and flying.

Zamara took the helm again. The protoss preserver, having familiarised herself with terran machinery and piloting by now, had no problem getting past Aiur's atmosphere and landing them relatively safe enough. The landing zone was close to one of the entrances to Aiur's undeground caverns, where the crystals she was after were located.

She told the two terrans to equip themselves for combat, as zerg were known to now inhabit the planet. Rosemary packed a C10, standard issue ghost canister rifle and a hostile-environment suit. Jake, on the other hand, got into an older version of a battle armor, one that wasn't as bulky as the normal CMC- marine types. As for weapons, he took a gauss rifle with plenty of ammo and ten fragmentation grenades. He also took his scientific equipment with him.

The tiny group exited the spacecraft and began to scout the surroundings. It was night and only the lights on their suits and weapons could help them see through the pitch black darkness. Only then did they see how badly damaged their ship really was. Dents in all the places, missing parts, smoking exhausts and engines, traces of laser fire... the like.

Noises in the foilage distracted their attention. The two turned around and took a back-toback- position and got their weapons ready. The noise intensified and animalistic growls could be heard. Moments later, a pack of zerglings emerged and attacked them. Rosemary and Jake didn't waste any time and fired on the approaching critters. The girl was a talented sniper and every shot she took was an instant kill. Jake, however, hadn't received much military training and that showed. His shots had an accuracy of 41%, meaning that the wave facing him was about to run him over and devour him.

Just then, after finishing her last target, Rosemary turned around and finished off the other critters along with him. In time too, as the last zergling was about to bite Jake's arm off.

" Next time you see a wave of zerglings, try to use your gauss rifle in a sweeper's move, got that?" she said after recharging her rifle.

And, since life had a habit of toying with other people's minds and make fun of their efforts, 4 hydralisks emerged from the dark green jungles, hissing threateningly and lurching forward with their deadly spines prepared.

" Out of the way, idiot!" Rosemary pushed them both behind a rock. They were narrowly missed by three posionous spines.

Other strange sound soon followed and the hydralisks were hissing in pain. Daring a look over the rock the used as cover, Jake/Zamara recognized the newly appeared as zealots. With their blue and white psi blades lit, they sliced through the monstrosities, turning them into big piles of blood and gore.

He decided to wait and observe them. He spotted a group of ten zealots, led by a templar, judging from the robes that their leader wore. That particular character seemed to have sensed them. He got closer and closer, carefully scouting the surrounding for any more threats, before finally looking over the rock and greeting them.

" _En Taro Adun, terrans! Are you stranded here too? What brought you to our desolate home?"_

" _**En Taro Adun, honourable warrior! I am preserver Zamara and these terrans are helping me!"**_

As he heard her psionic voice booming in their heads, the templar and his zealots came closer and kneeled down in front of them. Their golden armor was still shining, even after nearly four years of fighting, hiding and running about on that zerg infested world. Their saphire blue eyes were just a bit darker than their skin and they were practically brimming with psionic energy. Khala, as they called this network, link, they shared amongst their race. It was an incredible sight, all of them thought, finding survivors here. Perhaps they would aid them in their search for that mysterious crystal.

" _Forgive us, oh, great preserver! We haven't met your kind in a long time... actually, one could say that we haven't encountered other protoss since we were stranded here! Apart from the Tal'Darim tribes, that is!" he answered with humility in his voice._

Jake tensed. He didn't know why, but at the heard of that name, his body acted on its own. Or has it?

" What are those Tal'Darim you just mentioned?" he asked the templar.

" _Impressive, terran! You manage to share your mind with our glorious preserver and that is commendable! But, you asked me a question. The Tal'Darim are, for lack of a better word, fanatics. They defend their so called " holy places" with ferocity. With our society crumbling after the evacuation of most of the Khalai through the warp gate to Shakuras, those that survived went into hiding, as shameful as that may be for us, proud warriors. The zerg onslaught carried on, bringing down our cities, driving us to caves, jungles and other places. Fighting them head on, in glorious battle was and still is... futile. Those that have remained and continue to defend our home and culture call ourselves Shel'na Kryhas- those that endure. The other protoss that I've mentioned were part of our group but have encountered a drug called " Sun Drop". It severed them from the Khala, rendering them confused, angry, unstable, all the while granting them dark templar powers. Fate can be ironically crude many times, for those that were corrupted hated the dark templar and their culture!" he told them._

" I'm sorry for your loss, noble templar! I am Jake Ramsey, archeologist! This is Rosemary Dahl, my bodyguard and companion! And... I believe Zamara needs no introductions!"

" _Indeed! I am templar Ladranix! It's an honour to fight alongside you! However, we must be wary and not remain in one place for too long! Forgive us, but we have to take whatever weapons and equipment you still have in order to keep our tribe in good condition. As compensation, we will take you under our care!"_

" Figures!" Rosemary spat the word. " Guess we don't have that much of a choice, now do we, mr. _archeologist!?_ "

Jake looked at the scanners of his suit. It showed that an ever increasing number of biosignatures were closing in on them. ETA was about 15 minutes until they would be overrun.

" Like she said, we have no better choice than this to make! Let's take whatever we can carry and get outta here! The zerg are on our trail!"

And so, the two terrans and the rest of the protoss survivors grabbed everything that wasn't nailed to the ship and fled the place. They went through jungles, crossed river valleys and traversed a mountain before coming to a large waterfall. The two terrans were skeptical about swimming, but two zealots offered to carried them. Reluctantly, they accepted. Imagine their surprise when they gazed upon the settlement hidden behind the thick wall of water. The huge, towering golden buildings of many shapes filled the incredibly large space of the cave. Rosemary couldn't help but associate the sight with the descriptions she met all the SF comics she read a few years back. Giant, blue diamonds held together by golden supports seemed to be the power source of the other structures.

" _They are called Pylons, young one and yes, they are the primary source of power for our society. It resembles the terran nuclear reactors to some degree!" Ladranix explained._

" Wait! How do you know about that? You don't look like the guy who'd visit terran wordls for the sake of science?"

Ladranix didn't answer at first. Instead, he lead them through the first row of abandoned buildings, homes, by the looks of them. All of them bore strange insriptions, odd electrical circuits and other strangely shaped objects. The protoss were practically unknown to the terrans. Their technology was light years away from the terran one in many fields, yet it seemed like that did not help them as much in their defense of Aiur. She had seen a few videos of these proud warriors fighting against both zerg and terrans. This group here was far from what she had expected; and, surprisingly, it looked... sad, for lack of a better word.

Finally, they reached an opening that resembled a central square. It was flanked by 4 huge structures, one of which she recognized as a Nexus, the protoss variant for a Command Centre. She felt a surge running through her body. Next thing she noticed was the sudden appearence of more than 100 protoss. Have they been hiding and stalking them all this time?

Walking in the centre of the square, templar Ladranix motioned his guards to stand back and the two terrans found themselves next to him, surrounded by all sorts of protoss. Jake gave them a few quick glances. He was astonished to see shipbuidlers, scientists, scholars, civilians, zealots, a few other templars and what not. The dire situation must have brought these otherwise separate guilds together. He had to agree with Rosemary; it looked pretty sad.

" _We need not you pity us, terran! What brings you to our devastated home?" asked one of the scholars._

" _**En Taro Adun, brother! We are here to extract a sample of the purest of the Khaydarin Crystal. I think our search should begin with the caves underneath Aiur",**_ Zamara spoke to them via Khala.

" Yeah... we're with her on that!" Rosemary added.

The protoss exchanged looke between themselves. The sudden appearence of two terrans and a protoss preserver, of all things, was in one of them. This most unusual predicament was confusing to most of them, as they could not recall when they had last seen Zamara's kind. Only Ladranix seemed to be more knowledgeable. Perhaps that was the reason he was appointed the leader of this ragtag group, Rosemary thought.

" _We are not a ragtag group, but a family!" he said, peaking the duo's interest. " And you are not the first terrans I have met. I was brave and lucky enough to fight beside the late praetor Fenix and James Raynor and his Raiders, against the zerg onslaught!"_

" The renegade rebel? What was he doing here? I thought he was on the run!" Rosemary interrupted. Unknowingly, she infuriated the protoss surrounding her. Some have begun throwing rocks at her and Ramsey, others simply gave her the coldest looks she had ever seen. A few electrical shocks surged through her body, meaning that one of the gifted protoss was losing his patience with her and was about to unleash a small scale storm on her. Normally, she wouldn't be afraid, but those creepy, unpredictable aliens's behaviour and abilities troubled her.

Just when she thought she was done with, templar Ladranix raised his hand, silencing his " family". She sighed, thankful for the intervention.

" _Terran Rosemary Dahl, I will pardon your impertinance since you could not have known about friend Raynor's honorable deeds. Know that we hold him in high regard, as he fought with dark prelate Zeratul and high templar Tassadar against the Queen of Blades on Char. When the wretched zerg attacked our homeland, he and his so called " Raiders" helped with the defense of Antioch. Later on, during the great battle against the Overmind, he was right behind mighty Tassadar, as he sacrificed himself to destroy the abomination. Right afterwards, he helped us evacuate to Shakuras, then shut down the warp gate and defending whatever refugges have gathered around him and Fenix. We will always respect him, for he was the one that showed us that your race can be cunning, empathic, loyal even, though full of surprises!"_

" Wow, that's one hell of a story! That guy sure gives a new meaning to the word " heroics"!" Rosemary commented, bowing her head, so as to make them understand that she didn't mean to be disrespectful.

" Still, noble templar, would you be able to lend us a hand in this search of ours? Zamara here says it is very important for your race!" Jake Ramsey spoke as well.

" _That could be problematic, enlightened Ramsey! As I have previously told you, the Tal'Darim stand guard around every sacred place of the protoss, especially those directly linked to our forefathers, the Xel'naga!" Ladranix answered._

" _As shameful as it may be, we will not be able to directly support you in this endeavor, preserver!" one of the scientists spoke. " The numbers are against us, as you would say it, terrans"_

" _Not only that, but our laws forbid us from entering the caverns!" a scholar added._

" You mentioned helping us indirectly. How can you do that? What exactly can you do?" Rosemary asked with a sharp mind and tongue.

" _We will give you a map of the caverns. Our scholars have managed to save one from the great library of Antioch. We will also give you a ghost suit we've recovered; it is still functional and it will be of much assistance to you!"_

" Wait! Who told you I was the one going in there alone and blind? Why not Ramsey, since he is the one carrying Zamara; plus he's the smartass here!" the terran female commented, visibly disdained by the proposal and the implications.

" Dahl, please! You know I'm a wimp, plus, I never was good at navigating through strange places that I have never seen before. I would have died or gotten lost on Deadman's Rock ,were it not for your and Zamara's help! PLUS, I'm pretty sure that the Tal'Darim may be able to feel her presence, so we don't want to take any unnecessary risks, now do we?" he stated with a serious voice. His concern was evident, although the former mercenary saw that his little speech contained a bit of coercion.

" You're becoming more and more scheming the longer you stay with me!" she laughed it off. " But still, you're not wrong about that possibility of you being detected. Since no one's offering, I'll take it! Remember, you'll owe me big time, bookworm! Got that?!"

" _**Loud and clear, miss Dahl! Now, if you'd be so kind as to move your butt already!" Zamara spoke this time, using Jake's terran vocabulary for a change.**_

" You scheming little... UGHH! Bring me that suit and the map!" she demanded.

 _Aboard the Decebalus some time after the battle of Braxis._

Escaping the battle scene wasn't as easy as one would have thought. Raynor knew that even though the attacking force had retreated, others will be there in a moment's notice. That's why he urged them to make two consecutive random location warp jumps. Eventually, they reached Deadman's Rock, where Raynor and his Raiders had more than enough connections that would help them with fuel and other stuff, all the while sheltering them.

As he stood on the starport's platform, overseeing his ally's departure, Admiral Marcu Andronic was optimistic. Raynor proved him wrong and viceversa. Perhaps this partnership will go a long way into building a better future for terrans.

Jim walked up to him with a friendly glare in his eyes, extending his arm. Andronic took off his glove and responded to the salute. The rebel commander asked him to drop by some other time, when they weren't busy fighting the universe. He agreed on that, also propositioning the raiders to come drop by the Solaris system sometime. There was still plenty to do back home, he said, but even so, it looked... beautiful and promising.

They then parted ways. The Argonauts were back to their ships and flying home. Black Knife could contact them even there, so why bother waiting for him? The journey was calm, no patrols or other troubles whatsoever.

Admiral Marcu Andronic was forced to spend most of his time in medbay, recovering from the shock of the battle. His adversary had been none other than Nova Terra, best ghost in the Dominion, and it was a miracle that he managed to not only survive the battle, but win.

However, as he laid on the cold, metal and industrial foam-made bed, he began to realise how lucky he had been. The element of surprise, coupled with Nova's overconfidence and unstable personality led him to victory. Fate had been on his side yet again, but he could not hope to dwell on that for long. It was akin to a balance. For all the shit he had to put up with, he was given enough favorable and enjoyable moments, at least for a while. Thing is, shit will always come back, no matter how careful he was to avoid it.

Looking to his right, he spotted Nikos Constantinis, leader of the Spartan Company and on of his confidents. The good man took a serious hit to one of his shoulders, while the rest of his body had sustained multiple injuries, thanks to Nova's psionic push. He was stable and was going to recover, but he too would be out of the picture for some time. Even so, another casualty to add to his long list.

 _At the Argonauts's capital city of Satark, located on the planet of Solaris Secunda._

As the Decebalus and the rest of the fleet descended to the main spaceport, they were greeted like heroes. A huge crowd had gathered to welcome them on their victorious return. Men, women, even children, from all levels of their small society were cheering and clapping their hands, shouting out their names in a grand event, with trumpets, confetti, or whatever those colourful bits were called, a red carpet( how classy, he noted to himself!) and many other surprises that awaited them. He had a feeling that Schnitt had prepared this in great detail, but the fool was stern and his face, unable to read.

Admiral Marcu Andronic, not yet appointed, but still, the recognized, ruler of the Solaris System put on his best smile, while he waved at the people like the celebrity he was. Next in line were Josef and Esmeralda, holding hands like the couple they were, while also having a good time in their roles of superstars. It was all about confidence, she told herself as she gazed upon those that gave her an admiring look; then there were those that envied her, who were trying to hide their disdain, but that was impossible in the presence of a powerful psionic, like her. Not caring too much about their opinion, she leaned on Josef's right shoulder, feeling relaxed. His gentle touch did have that particular effect on her. Schnitt and the rest of the captains followed suit, accompanied by their deputee officers and other important people.

As they neared the end of their victory parade, a few of the so called " journalists"- that have surfaced in the last few months amongst their people- pushed Andronic towards a podium, forcing him to make a speech for those that were gathered and those that were watching through their television.

" _I can't possibly believe that I have to do this! Damn it, when did we get our own television? As if the UNN and other similar media weren't enough of a nuisance!"_ the Admiral spoke to himself as he took position in front of the people. He looked around for Josef or Esmeralda or anyone else, but they seemed to be content with letting him do that all by himself. _" Smithering, double crossing bastards!"_ he cursed them in thought, but then regreted it, as Esmeralda shot him a small electric shock in response.

He shuddered and then took a long breath. He began:

" Greetings, fellow terrans! Most of you already know who I am so I'll be skipping the autobiography. I am glad to see that the Solaris System could handle itself in my absence. It only goes to show that I am not the pillar holding it all together. That, my friends are you! Never forget that! As for what we have done, well, let's just say that the Dominion will be in distress for a few months. We destroyed the planet of New Sydney and managed to pillage Braxis, all the while defeating any enemy that stood in our way. However, we have suffered numerous casualties due to uneven battle odds and I would like to hold a minute of silence for those that we lost on this journey!" Andronic said, bowing his head, as did the others that were present there. It was so quiet that one could drop a needle and its echo would be heard a mile away. " Thank you!" Andronic continued. " I would also like to express my sincerest thanks to my very capable collaborators: captain Josef, my deputee officer and vice-admiral, lieutenant Esmeralda, commander of the covert regiments, captain Schnitt, a friend that I most value, captains Trevor, Ragnar, Leonard, Henri, to name but a few of them. Know that you can put your faith in each one of them both in times of peace and turmoil! Now, if there are any questions, please, go ahead!" Andronic ended his small speach.

The few jounalists that the Argonauts had jumped in like a pack of hyenas preying on a gazelle. He didn't hold such people in high regard, but they were a necessary evil, both here, in the Koprulu Sector, and back on Earth.

A tall woman, dressed in a daring grey jumpsuit (or catsuit, he couldn't actually tell), with curly blonde hair, stunning brown eyes and broad smile on her sharp face had the honour of being the first:

" Admiral, my name is Brianna Sachs and I reprezent " The Spotlight" news agency. We would like to know your position regarding the imminent resource crisis of our system!" she asked straightforward, no beating around the bush at all.

" Pleased to meet you, miss Sachs! I have been informed of the necessity of expanding the number of Bio-Domes destined for agriculture. The numbers we have now simply aren't enough and I intend to change that. Moreover, with the credits we "aquired", we will have the funds for buying sufficient food transports from a third party, not involved with the Dominion or any other faction. In fact, assuring the sustainability of the colonies will be our top priority for now!" Andronic answered with a straight, presentable face.

" Are there any chances that the Dominion or the Kel-Morian Combine or any other enemy might show up any time soon?" the blonde haired reporter asked with a genuine concern in her voice.

" I cannot lie to you and say that we wouldn't be eventually discovered! I would be branding myself a hypocrite for such a statement. On the other hand, he have taken all the precautions we could have, in order to prevent such kind of danger. However, we must be vigilent..."

" Why do you say that, Admiral, sir? Have you encountered some unexpected resistance during your missions?" another jounalist, a colleague of hers, asked.

" We have clashed with the Zerg Swarm above Deadman's Rock a few days ago. For reasons unknown, a smaller, nonetheless dangerous, zerg task force attacked the planet and we managed to force them back with help from the mercenaries there. Casualties were minimum, no infestation or " stowaways" whatsoever!"

They went on for a good one hour, pestering him with questions regarding both trivial and important issues, but Andronic was able to either answer or dodge them in a way that they didn't know what else to say. Soon, they thanked him for the interview and started packing their stuff. So did the other people gathered there. The Admiral and the others sighed, relieved that they were done with the parade. It was time for a well earned rest.

 _Josef and Esmeralda's quarters in the command centre of Satark 18:31 standard hours._

The " Rainbow Vixen" spent over half an hour removing all the bugs that Schnitt had placed into their room to prank them. The lovable fool had some very annoying habits, such as the above-mentioned one. When she sensed no other disturbance, the ghost stripped of her suit and went to take a shower, Josef following not too soon after. They then laid on ther bed, embracing each other like the couple they were.

" Oh, how I missed your strong arms and gentle touch!" Esmeralda began, looking in his eyes with a growing, content smile." I feel so careless around you, my bengalaas tiger, as if nothing else mattered around us! You feel the same, don't you?" she asked him, caressing his upper torso playfully.

" Course I do, my beloved! You are the one that gives me the strenght to go through those awfully tiring and boring days and nights... Wait! Now that I think about it, the nights haven't been that boring for some time! Guess who's to be thanked for?" he said then gave her a long kiss on the lips, giving way to a lustful night.

 _Schnitt's quarters._

" Stang! Looks like I can't troll them for a while! That Esmeralda sure is a piece!" Schnitt talked to himself in his room, in the company of a few bottles of beer. He definately needed those drinks for what was to come. He planned his revenge on overseer Kaljo and nothing will stop him from using his position as third-in-command of the Argonauts to get it. Andronic had better grant him and his men this wish, or an open revolt might happen, who knows? He finished the fifth bottle of beer before looking over his plan again. Overseer Kaljo was inspecting Tavish Kerr's mining operation on Redstone III five days from now. His contacts informed him that general Mal Kelerchian was displeased with the overseer, thus sending him into the far reaches of the Kel-Morian owned space. A little "accident", or pirate attack, might go unpunished, as such. " Sorry Andronic, you are a good friend, but I can't wait for our forces to rest, while my people are restless, itching for a righteous fight! I got you out of a shitty situation, I deserve at least that!" he recorded himself on a message tablet, which he pocketed. Right after that, he took to the bar to meet up with some friends.

 _Andronic's quarters, pretty much at the same time._

The Admiral had spent the day inspecting the colony's development. Against his doctor's recommendations, he visited a few of the Bio-Domes, some of the mines and the deposits, also making a stop at the makeshift college, that some pragmatic follower of his had established. Everywhere he went, he was met with friendly, admiring glares and attitudes. He was their hero, their glorious leader, that would lead them to victory and a rightful destiny. Chuckling to himself, he wondered if Raynor or any other man in a similar situation felt this bone crushing pressure, that was " being responsible to so many". In a way, he felt like Atlas, the ancient greek Titan, that had to hold the world on his shoulders, his constant, eternal sacrifice( or punishment, by some) holding the universe's balance. Fables and myhts, stories of all sorts, those were good, relaxing lectures, that took his mind off of the many problems that needed solving. For example, he still had his agreement with Valerian Mengsk, the crown prince, under which he had to( at least theoreticly) search for that missing terran/protoss scientist and his companion. On the other hand, obtaining food has become a problem, for the harvests, no matter how incredibly fruitful, were simply not enough to feed them all for the next two months; especially now, since they've awoken all those that were kept in cryo stasis up until recently. Militarly speaking, he needed to begin rearmment and modernisation, and that could be done only by raiding the dominion or producing their own weapons. On top of that, he had a strange feeling that Schnitt was up to something.

" Too many options, now enough time or forces to complete them all!" he spoke with a tired voice, laying aside the ebook he was reading. His bed was comfortable enough and sleep seemed so... enticing... he thought as he dozed off.

 _Sarah Kerrigan's main hive cluster on Char._

Sarah Kerrigan, Queen Bitch of The Universe and leader of the Zerg Swarm looked pretty much annoyed by this new predicament. Her initial asessment was wrong, for this Ethan Stewart posessed no psionic power at all. She had to thank that psi screen of his for fooling her. Still, the infestation process was succesful... well, most of it at least. His new form was stronger and more resilient, with dark green skin, glowing green eyes, a lack of hair and an additional pair of scythe-tipped limbs extending from the middle of his torso, much like a hydralisk's limbs. However, his voice remained unchanged, and his hands did not become deadly weapons. Parts of his brain were ruined due to the effects of that psi-screen, causing some eccentric, if not insane outbursts of behaviour. A succesful infestation and a new sentient zerg commander for her to order around... it was rewarding, in a way. She could dedicate herself to her dubious projects once more, without being disturbed, or that's what she thought.

The former crime lord, Ethan Stewart instantly fell in love with his new Queen. It was a mixture of adoring a mother, coupled with his already obsessive behaviour towards his former love interests, and the newfound zerg wild instincts. Sure enough, zerg don't reproduce, as that strange spidery being called Abathur told him on the third day after he was "hatched". Not to soon after he was used to his new condition, Ethan started pestering Kerrigan with declarations of undying love, loyalty and what else. If anything, the merciless queen of the insectoid empire knew that she could use this adulation to further ensure his complete dedication to the cause. She wouldn't admit it, but she liked teasing him. Most of the times, she would just sashay past him, pet him like the dog he was, or pretend to kiss him, just to back out in the last second.

One day, however, he behaved in a strange way. He was in training with a few other hydralisks and with a ultralisk, even. He jumped in the air, agilely dodging incoming attacks, then slashing sideways or from above. His adversaries were reduced to a bloody pile or remains in but a few seconds.

Impressed, Kerrigan masked her psionic presence from him and continued to watch. Two ultralisks approached, intent on taking him on together. He used his smaller frame to run under the lumbering beasts, butting their bellies open with his scythe limbs. The two giants turned arround, pain visible in their bodies; anger too. The infested terran crime lord lounged forward, aiming for their eyes. After a few more minutes of ferocious fighting, he emerged victorious, albeit lacking on of his scythe limbs.

" I'm impressed, lover boy! Never thought you had it in you!"she said, feigning admiration.

" Thank you, my queen! I only live to serve you and bring your enemies to the grave!"he answered, bowing to her.

"Rise, my fateful servant!"she said, pulling him into a tight embrace with her bone wings. Kerrigan then dug her claws in his cheeks, drawing different shapes and letting the reddish purple blood seep out. " I have a mission for you! Prove to me that you are worthy of serving as my consort! Disappoint me and I'll hand you over to Abathur for "further experimentation", if you know what I mean?"she commanded menacingly, giving him a gaze full of meaning.

Ethan Stewart shuddered at the thought. He was never afraid before his infestation or after it, but during it... "Well, let's say no one likes that spidery excuse for an insane doctor!"he said with his cool voice, but then reverted to his servile one. " Of course I'll do it, my beloved queen! You need only name my task!"

She released him and lead him to her throne room. Inside it was a terran holo-table she had liberated from a city on Maltair IV recently. It allowed her to spy on the sector's mostly lame, but sometimes entertaining television shows.

Sarah Kerrigan recalled one of Donny Vermilion's press coverage of recent attacks on the Terran Dominion. Oh, how she loved those!

" _Hello, dear viewers! This is me Donny Vermilion of UNN and I bring grave news to you! A new terrorist group has committed genocide against us! This horrifying footage was taken by one of the few survivors of New Sydney's dectruction!" the screen showed a planet being nuked from the atmosphere, then breaking apart, as if cracked like figure of clay, clenched in a fist. Undoubtedly, hundrets of thousands, if not milions of people died back there, lives snuffed out in a few seconds by a new type on nuke. Even she wasn't that evil. At least the zerg assimilated worlds and their inhabbitants, not outrightly destroyed everything. Those guys meant business. " I have been told that the commander-in-chief of New Sydney, the esteemed general Eugene Tup had barely survived his encounter with the assailant! Some have considered this being a raid by the infamous terrorist and criminal James Raynor, but even he and his lackeys wouldn't resort to this. We will return with further details, as they will be realeased by the military. Stay tuned!"_

This time, she didn't tune in to UNN or such nonsense. Instead, she selected an image that she found on his datapad, right before Ethan was captured. It showed a young woman, tough by the looks of it, and a rather strange scientist. Their names were Rosemary Dahl and Jake Ramsey, the latter being the terran/protoss hybrid she was searching for. Appearently, they took his shuttle and escaped from her clutches. Recently, however, she felt a strange psionic emmanation coming from Aiur. A few of the zerg there were still somehow clinging to the hive mind, and through it, to her. That is how she saw a familiar shuttle crashland on the planet's surface, two shadowy figures exiting it and repelling the feral zerglings preying on them. There was no doubt about it. She informed Stewart of this new development, making sure to tighten her leash on him.

" Your mission is to go to Aiur and apprehend that girlfriend of yours and her most valueble companion, Ramsey! DO NOT HURT THEM, for I will hurt you in unimaginable ways! You will be provided with one of my smaller leviathans and two broods to command. Make me proud!" she ordered.

 _ **Hello people**_ **! It takes me longer and longer to update, but my exams are to blame for that :((**

 **Special thanks to Ragnarok666, who gave me quite a few ideas for how to further the Admiral's relationship with Prince Valerian Mengsk and the latter's true motivations.**

 **Big thanks to all those that have read my fanfic! You are the ones keeping me going! Know it! ;)**

 **Any observations you would like to make, please do so, no matter how insignificant you may regard them. Sometimes, small mistakes have unexpected consequences, who knows?**

 **As usual, I am open to suggestions via** **PM** **or** **reviews** **. Do not be afraid to** **speak your mind, my fellow Starcraft fans** **!**

 **I am sure you are full of good ideas and are just waiting to put the pen on paper, metaphorically, of course! :))**

 _ **Please**_ _ **follow**_ _ **or**_ _ **favorite**_ _ **the story if you like it ;). Seeing it being read gives me the determination to continue writing.**_

 _ **Have a nice day!**_


	15. 15: Rejoined, then split up!

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own Starcraft, nor do I make a profit from any activity relating with the franchise.

 **Author's note:** _ **First, I would like to thank all my readers for viewing my fanfiction! It is always great to see that people appreciate your work! :)) If you would be so kind as to give your opinion about this story, I would appreciate it. If it got you interested, you can always follow it! ;)**_

 _ **Still, I liked both the game and the story very much. Thus I felt I should develop part of it in a new way. The UED fascinated me and the perspective of a terran remnant group, light years away from Earth, with no chance of going back and having to confront an entire sector seemed to be a good starting point for a story involving both the original characters and some new, unique ones. I will try to stick to the original story as best as I can. However, remember that this is a fanficiton and not everything must go according to the letter.**_

 _ **\- I'm terribly sorry for keeping you waiting all this time, but... end of highschool, parties, exams, all sorts of time consuming activities... I'll try to get updating back on its tracks, but I can't make any promises :(**_

 _ **\- Observation: the leader of the Kel-Morian Combine is general Mah Sakai, not Mal Kelerchian (sorry for the mistake)**_

 **Chapter 15: Rejoined, then** _ **split up**_

 _Capital City of Satark, the day after the return of the Admiral and his forces._

 _Esmeralda and Josef's quarters, 09:32_

Esmeralda was finally awake. She had been soundly asleep, relishing in the embrace of her one and only true lover and soon to be husband. She let out a lazily sigh. Her body would have wanted to lay there a few more hours, but it was way past waking time. Slowly crawling out of bed, she was surprised to find that her ghost suit on her chair has been replaced with a ball dress, emerald green, beatifully decorated, with pearls and small diamonds embrodied into flowers of the most intricate shapes and sizes. Not knowing what to believe or say, she got out of bed and marveled at the sight. It was the perfect shape, with the back cut out, a not too revealing front and a train that won't drag too much. Apart from that, there was a pair golden bracelets, plus matching shoes for the dress.

Lost as she was in the sight of the unexpected present, she didn't feel Josef waking up:

" Hello, beloved! I see you like the present!" the deputee officer said with a sheepish smile. as he embraced her and gently kissed her neck.

" I LOVE IT! But what's the occasion?"

" Come now, it's something you wanted for a long time! I am sure you've figured it out!"

"... you don't mean?..." she stood back, amazed at the thought.

" Oh, but I do! It's for our wedding, which remains to be planned in deta...!" he answered but was trailed off by her sudden hug and cries of joy. " I told that I love you and I always keep my promises!" he added, then kissed her head.

" You're the most wonderful man in the universe, Josef Harding! I will proudly be your wife and soulmate!"

 _Marcu Andronic's room, 10:00 AM the same morning._

The Admiral couldn't sleep for more than six hours. Still, it was a necessary and refreshing sleep. So, in order to make the most of his time, he stood at his desk, drawing the lines for Solaris Secunda's development. Their mineral and vespene resources were more than enough to sustain the entire Solaris System. That did not worry him. He opted, however, for underground munitions factories on Solaris IV and Solaris V, plus an underground shipyard terminal on Solaris III, where the canyons, ravines and other such special landscape elements provided the best cover from the all too curious eyes of the Sector. Septuaginta provided them with intelligence reports and a refueling&repair station for the battlecruiser fleet. Solaris I was practically a dead rock, life could not be sustained, thanks to the lack of gravity, yet the Argonauts managed to install beacons that would alert the rest of the system in case unexpected guests showed up. Other than that, the rock had missile turrets and autoturrets installed in strategic places near the beacons, for safety. Solaris VI was the only truly lush planet they posessed, with extensive forrests, fields, beautiful mountains, glaciers at the south pole, two oceans and many seas, more than enough rain and agricultural land, that wasn't used to its full potential yet.

The founds and the resources they had at their disposal allowed him to plan the construction of an additional 300 BioDomes, but they would take some time to yield any crops or other foodstuff. That is why Esmeralda's mission will be even more important. He planned to send her to a few agricultural planets that had a surplus of agricultural produce and equipment. He had thought about a few such examples: Agria, obviously, Shiloh, Halcyon and Bountiful. Those were the only Fringe Worlds that they could turn to and deal with in such conditions. Trying to cut deals with the Core Wordls was incredibly risky and could leave traces to the Solaris System; Andronic didn't want any of that. Therefore, he spoke with Black Knife and asked him to provide him with some cargo ships that had an acceptable look; nothing too new, nothing fancy and certainly something with a valid commercial shipping code. Two hours ago, he got the reply. 25 cargo ships, plus 12 smaller freighters were availible, all of them hyperspace worthy and capable of hauling more than enough cargo. Their papers were ok, no strings attached or anything else. The price would have been steep, but The Umojan Protectorate always rewarded its allies properly, meaning that Andronic got a 60% discount, so the price amounted to 80000 credits for everything.

The next step had been procuring clothing that didn't resemble anything the Argonauts, UED or Kel-Morians would wear. That was cheaper and easier than he thought. The hardest part was convincing Esmeralda to lead the mission. He wanted to give her the respite she and Josef needed, but the growing population (yes, his people started reproducing like rabbits and it was every bit as wonderful as it was taxing their resource pool) and the awakening of those previously kept in cryo stasis was forcing his hand.

" There will be times when the context will force your hand to act to your people's best interest! That is one of the challenges a wise leader has to face! I expect you to lead this bunch of misfits and incompetents one day, my daughter, so you'll do well to pick up a few lessons from me, even if I'm not your most appropriate example for a monarch!" he had once told her, two months ago, if he remembered well.

He sighed. He knew she wouldn't like this, so it was best to make the preparations and tell her later, after she spent some quality time with her lover.

" Now, let's see what am I about to do with that Valerian character and his terran/protoss archeologist..." he trailed off, heading for the command centre of Satark. The Decebalus had been put on urgent repairs, but with the army of engineers and workers he had at his disposal, the damage would be gone in no time. Either tomorrow or tonight, those ships that Black Knife sold him would arrive at Septuaginta. The next missions will spread their forces thinly, but if they were succesful, then the Argonaut faction would be strengthened and able to take on most foes. He would bring his people to greatness, to a bright future!

 _ **What happened on Braxis Alpha a day prior...**_

General Eugene Tup disliked Dardanya. The spaceport capital of Braxis Alpha was headed by no other than that annoying governor Saoudi, that stupid moustache bastard, he thought. The one hour break was nearly over, so Eugene decided to wake Nova up for the briefing. Going in without her will only make things worse for both of them.

The general was dressed in his general suit, with his medals pinned to the chest. He shook the sleeping ghost gently, waking her to the gravity of the situation. He explained everything that happened and the situation that they were in. Although he tried to be as fearless and intent as ever, Nova, even in her weakened state, was able to read his thoughts and emotiones.

" You are afraid, general Tup! Afraid of losing your rank, of tarnishing yours and your family's name and honour, but above all- she said taking a pause to let the words sink in-... you are afraid of being court martialed and executed!" she stated, looking him in the eyes.

To his credit, Eugene Tup did not falter under her gaze, but rather let out a sigh.

" I told you not to strain yourself or use your powers! You haven't recovered from what happened!" he told her, putting his living hand on her shoulder.

" Quit worrying about me sir and focus on your position! Mengsk will most likely leave me be, since I'm too precious for him to be terminated, but you on the other hand..."

Another, more stressful sigh left his mouth, preceding his deadman-walking speech:

" Yes, that is true! You are one of the most valueble assets the Dominion has at its disposal. It's no wonder that you'll be given special treatment, regardless of the outcome of the mission. A psi index of 10... now that is something we need in the fight to come. The Queen Bitch of the Universe mandates that someone powerful has to fight her and keep her out of our territories. YOU, November Annabelle Terra, are that superhero that will lead us to victory; congratulations!

I myself thought that I could bring glory and peace to the Dominion, but it seems that fate keeps messing with me. I am disposable, a human resource that far exceeded its use...

I am glad, however, that I've managed to save Mengsk's prize! At least some good will have come out of my stupid actions. Now, I walk my last road, prepared to die at the command of our glorious leader.

Goodbye, miss Terra!"

As he said those words, he turned around to leave. He grabbed his revolver and hid it in a concealed pocket of his suit. Taking another breath, general Eugene Tup made his way out of the ship that they used for personal quarters.

Nova was gobsmacked by his words, moreso by his thoughts and the emotiones that they betrayed. The man she had taunted for that long had disobeyed the rules, made a truce with the enemy just to save her. It was nice to see that there were few that still cared for the lives of their subordinates. Still, his apocaliptic words filled her mind with dread. An asset, that's what she called her, an extremely valueble tool in the fight against the Dominion's worst enemies, nothing less, nothing more. Venomous, but truthful words, those were. General Tup was afraid, so much fear... she hadn't sensed ever since she could remember(which, probably, wasn't that much, given the memory wipes). Emperor Mengsk must be a severe man then, one that wouldn't and doesn't tolerate any failure, no matter what the reason of excuse. At any rate, she will do all in her power to prevent the death of general Tup. It was the least she could do to repay him for his kindness.

 _The inquiry..._

Governor Saoudi and his advisors gathered in a conference room inside the main administrative building on Dardanya. There, in front of the Holo-Table stood general Eugene Tup, ghost agent Nova Terra, flanked by two colonial guards. Saoudi then ordered one of his assistants to get a connection with Korhal IV and the Palace. Within minutes, it was established and Emperor Arcturus Mengsk's face appeared on the screen.

" Ah, governor Saoudi... to what do I owe the... _pleasure_?" he asked, knowing that the man in front of him brought only grave news.

" Our humblest apologies, your highness, but the unusually dire situation that has transpired needed your immediate attention!" the governor began with an official, yet fearful tone. " General Eugene Tup and agent Nova will give you the report before they will be sent to the Martial Court!"

The emperor quirked an eyebrow at the mention of the two, but nonetheless stood silent and gestured for the said individuals to begin.

" Your majesty, I was tasked with the defense of Braxis and the surrounding space. A few days ago, the terrorist James Raynor and his so called Raiders appeared with three battlecruisers and crashlanded on the surface, far to the west of Boralis. I kept attacking them and made good progress, that is, until a certain mercenary force of 12 battlecruisers and many more space fighters arrived. Their commander skillfully incapacitated our defenses and managed to land both east and west of Boralis." Eugene Tup began his explaination.

Emperor Mengsk looked both impressed and annoyed. This new predicament required his utmost attention, it would seem. He had a feeling that he knew who was behind this unidentified task force, but he would let the general tell his part of the story. The rightful punishment will come after that.

" I have heard rumors about this captain " Tamasino" and his accursed mercs. One of the reasons I put you in charge of Braxis's defences was the possibility of him showing up. I assume that this guy was the same one that destroyed New Sydney, am I right? Also, this time you had agent Nova's services to use in case things did not go as planned! How could someone with no access to highly advanced military technology beat you... AGAIN!?" Mengsk shouted through the comm. The Emperor was a patient man when needed, but this time, he couldn't abstain himself from yelling at his appearently useless underling.

Governor Saoudi could be seen smiling; so were his other officials. Only Nova Terra did not smile, but was prepared to throw the ball in the Emperor's side of the field. No one would kill or humiliate her saviour like this; not when the enemy was too advanced or skilled for their forces.

" Your majesty, I..." general Eugene Tup started, but was cut off by Nova's intervention.

" Your highness, I've been there and I must say that we were caught with our guard down, regardless of all the preparations that could have been made. The enemy must have cracked the security sistems and exploited the time gap between the main fleet leaving to patrol the next sector and it returning. Plus, when general Tup sent me to engage and capture or terminate captain Tamasino, we were confrointed with a harsh truth: they had superior technology..."

And so, agent Nova told them all that happened, how her battle with Tamasino and his strange goliath-like contraption went and ended, how Raynor used nukes and explosives to take out the defences, get in, pillage everything and take out Boralis. A few of general Tup's surviving officers were brought in as witnesses and they unanimously confirmed the ghost's testimony. The sneak attack could not have been prevented, given the two sided offensive that was conducted at the same time. With most troops on the frontlines, not enough manpower was left to properly defend the base from Raynor.

"... had general Tup and his men not come and fight their way to save me, they would have been obliterated with the rest of those inhabiting Boralis. This way, by leaving his by then useless post, he managed to rescue a level 10 ghost from certain death! That's why... I beg of you, your majesty, be lenient with him!" she said with a pleading, but not relenting voice.

Arcturus Mengsk, emperor of the Terran Dominion was taken aback by her change in demeanor. Agent X41822N was his best soldier(tool, if you put it bluntly). She followed orders to the letter, with killer efficiency, so much as both his loyal subjects and his enemies wondered if she was a machine or a cyborg, not a human. Interestingly, she seemed to have changed her behaviour thanks to the latest mission. He did not know the exact reason. Losing a battle to a non-psionic enemy might be one reason; the main reason, actually. The next would be "losing the war", as some would say it, for she had to retreat with the general and the rest of the survivors, while that blasted terrorist and his unknown friends destroyed the Braxis system's patrol fleet and made their escape. He hit the table and the sound was heard through the comm. Kerrigan and her zerg were still out there, preparing themselves to snatch yet another planet and the protoss did not show themselves by now. Both accursed races were preparing for something, hopefully to destroy each other. Worst case scenario, the two would attack him at the same time. That would be highly unwanted-and highly unlikely as well. Still, with the fleet and the defences he had built, surviving that scenario would be feasable. But, if those pin-point attacks would continue at this scale: New Sydney destroyed, Boralis... pillaged and razed to the ground...again, the Braxis fleet destroyed, all thanks to one man's shrewd tactics.

" Perhaps it is time to trace down this bastard and teach him a lesson!" he thought as he made a mental note to speak with Valerian later. After all, it was he who hired the "good captain Tamasino" to help him recover his runaway science team. This way, he would keep his eyes on the target and attack it at a convenient time. Yes... that would be a good course of action.

...

" General Eugene Tup! Given the latest developments I am inclined to overrule any martial court's decision on your case!" the emperor began and the said officer sighed, relieved. Also, governor Saoudi's smirk vanished off his face. " That means that I will exert my supreme rank in the military and justice to give you this sentance instead: you are to be degraded to the rank of marine squad captain; you would be given new drills to accomodate to your new position and then you will be sent to the frontlines at the earliest notice. Also, I strip you of all medals, ranks and privileges that you previously held as general in the Terran Dominion's military! Your family will renegate you, most likely, but that doesn't interest me at all. Henceforth, you are nothing more than a grunt!"

"...b-b-but sir! This is unfair!"

" Did YOU just regard my judgment as UNFAIR!? You good for nothing idiot should be grateful for Agent Nova's support of your cause! Were it not for her pleading for your wretched cause, I would have indulged mister Saoudi's pleasure of killing you! If I were you, I would get accutomed to my new position and leave for Korhal IV at the earliest notice. With regards to those formerly serving under you, they are pardoned; just this time! Leave now! Governor Saoudi, you are to provide them with means of travel!" the emperor spoke his mind and the transition ended.

The governor was disappointed that he didn't get to slaughter the former general, but the latter's humiliation was a good enough alternative.

As agent Nova and Eugene Tup made their way back to their assigned quarters, the ghost felt really bad for what had happened. She knew she normally shouldn't, but his situation was special. She dared not say it... but he felt... special. He was too selfless for his own good. He was also very, very unlucky, having had to face that enemy not once, but twice, and come out severly beaten.

" General..." she started, but he cut her off.

" I'm no general! I'm a "captain" now, of the lowliest kind, actually!"

" You're still my general, sir!" she said, smiling encouragingly.

He gave a sad laugh.

" No! I am but a useless pawn thrown either way, waiting for my turn to be terminated, sacrificed for "the greater good" or traded for a more valueble piece that had been lost! We are all set on a gigantic chess board, agent Nova. Each of us has a certain rank that can go up or down and we will be moved back and forth accordingly. We all live to protect the _ **King**_ ; he is the one giving commands. There is no actual queen, in fact. However, you are the second most powerful piece on the table- so that position might fall to you. I, for one, lost my place as a tower when New Sydney was destroyed. Degraded to a pawn, I gave my best to save the _**Queen**_ and have been rewarded justly!"

She looked like she wanted to add something, but again, he trailed her off.

" Do not worry about me! I repeat, I am unimportant in the grand scheme of things. You, on the other hand, are **irreplaceble**. Do try to live your life and make the most if it, for I am sure we shall not meet again! Goodbye, November Annabelle Terra!" he ended his small, deadman walking-like speech.

Again, she knew not what to say.

 _Back to the present, on Char..._

Sarah Kerrigan felt... bored, for lack of a better word. There was literally no activity for her, no thing that demanded her immediate attention or personal intervention, the fool Ethan Stewart was away and so on. She had taken her fury on a few zerglings and hydralisks, trained until exhaustion, travelled back and forth on the fiery planet, but she finally lost interest. Returning to the main hive cluster, she was greeted by Izsha's mental message.

" Are you... alright, my queen? You seem rather disoriented, at the moment!" she spoke carefully.

Kerrigan wanted to ignore her adjutant, but since she did not have anything better to do, she would talk to her, if only for a while.

" Disoriented isn't the word, unentertained perhaps! There is nothing worthwhile doing for the time being. I need something to take my mind off of this!"

" Hmmm! May I suggest that you use that Holo-Table that you salvaged? As a terran, I imagine that you were familiar with their so called... tele...television. You yourself said it might be useful sometime, so turn it on and watch!"

Kerrigan let out a strange laugh. That, she did not expect. Her own zerg adjutant telling her to watch T.V.! So there were aspects about the Swarm that she did not fully know yet. Either that, or the zerg learned to laugh at the 75% of the channels emitted across the Koprulu Sector (which, by the way, they were able to receive, even with all the distance). Still, it wasn't a bad suggestion. Who knows? Maybe she might find something that would be actually entertaining. Also, that pesky terran part of her mind and soul was delighted to indulge in a human activity for a change.

" Alright, i'll do it!" she said as she made her way to the throne room. Having fitted the place with some specially designed filters-courtesy of Abathur-, electronic equipments would endure for a longer period of time, at least until proper replacements were to be found.

" Ah... let's see..." she spoke to herself as she took a seat on her throne and used the remote to switch from channel to channel.

" _... the Dominion has announced that another planet named Januzsia has_ been _terraformed and is ready for colonisation. Applications are open..."_. Next.

" _... don't worry about your kids destroying your household ever again! With the new brand of homekeep droids, you can continue your daily work without a worry from home! Availible for purchase at the INCREDIBLE price of 500 credits per unit; spare parts and recharger included!"_

" _Got to get my hands on a few of these! Maybe they'll keep stupid zerglings from chewing every object in my room!"_ the zerg queen thought to herself, but then added _. " They'll last less than an hour... maybe an automated turret or something... do they have those for sale?"_ Next.

" _... OHHH JAMES!? How could you do something like this to me? I thought you left that drinking habit behind you! I can't believe I'm less attractive to you than a damn, cheap, stupid malt whiskey bottle! GODS!"_ Her face fell at the mention of those words. The irony... "Now that rings a few bells...".

"... _**we are sorry to interrupt this program, but we have an important announcement to make!"**_ UNN anchorchief Donny Vermillion's face appeared on the screen, cutting off the soap drama that was playing beforehand. Kerrigan tried changing the channel, not wanting to put up with that guy, but it seemed that he was all over TV.

" Must be something very special!" she spoke to no one in particular, before turning the volume higher.

" _ **... I have grave news to reveal to you, fellow citzens of the Dominion! One of our recently reclaimed planets, Braxis, has been the target of a planetscale attack by the ruthless pirate and known terrorist James Raynor and his trechearous underlings! An entire army corps of over 13000 foot soldiers, plus the entire Braxis system defence fleet have been mercilessly obliterated! I have been told that the casualties amount to aproximatively 98.2% of the original protection forces that have been assigned to safeguard the place! The few survivors that managed to escape the carnage have taken refuge to the nearby planet of Braxis Alpha, where my colleague Kate Lockwell is located right now. Let's see if she got any more information from the poor souls... Kate?"**_ the image shifted to the governor's palace in Dardanya and Kate Lockwell's by now famous face appeared on the screen. Beside her lay a medic and a marine, both visibly injured and tired, with bullet holes in their CMC suits.

" _**Thank you, Donny! I am located in Governor Saoudi's administrative palace in Dardanya, the capital of Braxis Alpha. With me are two of the survivors of the recent attack on Dominion installations: marine captain Sergey and field medic Melody. Would you please share your experience with the audience?"**_

" _**It was a horrible day, let me tell you!"**_ Sergey began. _**" I was on patrol duty on the western reaches of Boralis. That was a few days ago. After we finished my sweep of the area, me and my squad received a warning via comm-link. Three foreign battlecruisers appeared out of hyperspace and managed to force their way through the aerial defences and were about to land west of Boralis. General Eugene Tup, our commander-in-chief, pulled us back for regroup and then launched an attack. Mind you, we weren't aware who we were fighting against at that moment. Imagine our surprise when we found out it was none other than the blasted James Raynor! We got the jump on them, but the fire from their Hyperion drove us back before we could destroy their base. We then retreated and waited for reinforcements."**_

" _**I was at the main base at the moment, treating the civilians for symptoms of hypothermia. The rumors that Braxis is the coldest hell in the K. Sector are no jokes, let me tell you!"**_ Melody took hold of the speech. _**" The general summoned a meeting and convined that the terrorist had to have some kind of trump card up his sleeve, since none could be that foolish to attack heavily defended targets with just three battlecruisers! He ordered a few more scouting attacks, meant to gauge Raynor's combative power. His guerilla tactics and the rugged terrain, the many caves, ravines and neverending snow worked against us. It took us three days to clean the ice canyons of his forces and surround his base. Just as our aerial division was beginning it's attack,**_ _ **it happened!**_ _ **"**_ she stressed out, visibly shook by whatever horrors have made their appearence. Until now, Kerrigan was barely entertained. Only the fact that Mengsk got his arse kicked warmed a small bit of her venomous heart; that Jim was the one hammering that nail in the bastard's coffin was rewarding in itself. That last sentence, however, got her full attention.

" _**Sorry to interrupt you, Melody, but whom are you refering to? From what you've both told me so far, James Raynor and his Raiders should have been soundly defeated by then. What stopped you?" Kate asked, visibly curious.**_

" _ **... I-I... I don't know how or why, or by what means, but another, stronger enemy showed up in Braxis's orbit and managed to overcome our outer fleet and defences with acceptable casualties on their side! From what my superiors relayed to me, there were 11 battlecruisers, out of which 2 have been taken out, while the rest suffered significant damage. Plus, their flyers were incapacitated...**_

" _**What about the defence fleet you mentioned? How many survived the encounter?" Kate interrupted yet again.**_

" _ **... three cruisers made an emergency warp jump, while the others were destroyed or incapacitated!" Sergey answered.**_

" _**Returning to the matter at hand, the enemy landed his forces both east and west of Boralis, making the jonction with the Raiders. Next thing we knew, we were pressured from both sides. A covert operation lead by some of our best ghosts, aided by a small army division infiltrated the enemy base and destroyed their factories and barracks, before being thrown aback by the appearence of the new enemy's army. Mostly goliaths, tanks and vikings, plus the aerial bombardment from their immense cruiser tore them apart.**_

" _**The imperial palace relayed some disturbing evidence to us! This particular, customised goliath seems to be manned by their commander."**_ the footage revealed Andronic's Royal Goliath, which no one recognized, not even the Queen of Blades. The mech looked... pretty deadly, even by zerg standards. _**" The Dominion's Minstry of Defence has also published these images of what is believed to be the perpetrator's flagship!"**_ Kate Lockwell turned to the camera, pressed a button and the multiple snapshots of the Decebalus both in action and in standby could be seen on the UNN show all over the K. Sector. The enormous battlecruiser looked like a raging beast in the skies, raining an inferno of laser fire and rockets upon all that stood in its way. It was a sight that one could not simply forget. This time, however, Sarah Kerrigan recognized the ship. It was the same as the one that lead the fleet that killed her other Leviathan above Deadman's Rock a few days ago. She gritted her teeth in annoyance, but nonetheless kept paying attention. Perhaps Mengsk's propaganda goons could finally yield something useful.

" _**The guy in the creepy looking goliath and his army then joined up with the terrorists and started making their way towards the base. Another, stronger team of ghosts managed to hold them back for a time, but the sheer numbers of the enemy, plus the pincer movement they've adopted slowly overcame us. Just as the goliaths stayed behind to engage the ghosts, Raynor led the rest of the troops against Boralis itself. After blasting his way through our bunker lines, they started killing everyone and pillaging the site. Once they took anything that wasn't nailed to the damned floor, they gave nuked the area! CRIMINALS!"**_ the marine captain shouted in protest, but his still aching throat silenced him. He began coughing and had to be taken to the infirmery.

" _**Emperor Mengsk and the Dominion High Senate will issue a bounty of one million credits for the hero that will bring this criminal before the authorities and the courts. Anyone who posesses valueble information that can lead to the capture of the perpetrator will be rewarded with sums ranging from 20000 to 150000 credits, varrying in each case!**_

 _ **This was Kate Lockwell on Braxis Alpha, for UNN! Donny...!"**_

The feed on Dardanya and Kate was closed and the spectators were greeted with Donny Vermilion's worried and slightly annoyed (more likeley repulsed) face yet again.

" _**Thank you Kate! This is disturbing news indeed! A new threat roams the galaxy, in the form of a ruthless mercenary fleet that cares little for the lives of innocents! Our associates from the Criminal Investigation Bureau put together a list of the most ruthless criminals ever to have lived in the Koprulu Sector:**_

 _ **First place: The Old Families of the late Confederacy, for their ill treatment of billions and the nuke bombing of Korhal IV, which snuffed out the lives of more than 7 billion people.**_

 _ **Second place: Sarah Kerrigan, also known as the Queen of Blades, current leader of the Zerg Swarm, former ghost and ruthless marauder, traitor to her own race. Preliminary calculations point to an aproximate number of 3-4 billion lives lost to her and the minions under her command.**_

 _ **Third place: This was rather difficult to calculate, but this captain Tamasino will be credited with the position. In less than a month, this... terran, managed to mercilessly end the lives of one million people, destroy one planet and make another uninhabitable for an extensive period of time! The immense explosion that tore apart New Sydney has been proven to be his fault.**_

 _ **Fourth place: Pirate, terrorist and criminal James Eugene Raynor, former confederate marshall of Mar Sara and hero in the war against the Confederacy, he turned rogue after the battle of Tarsonis and began murdering his superiors and the comrades that wouldn't follow in his betrayal. He seeks to destroy the very heart of our Dominion and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Numerous of our brave soldiers lives have been lost to him. Countless other crimes, such as extensive armed robbery, extortion, assassinations, destruction of vital public property are attributed to him and his so called "Raiders"**_

 _ **Fifth place... the leader of the Kel-Morian Combine, general Mah Sakai...**_

 _And the list went on..._

Kerrigan shut down the TV and crushed the remote in her hand. She had a replacement, so it wasn't a problem. She should feel proud that her former love was proving to be ruthless in his efforts against Mengsk. Even Jim's strangely inherrent good nature, good will towards others had its obvious limits when it came to the Dominion Armed Forces. For this, she was glad. Both her sides were glad, even that meek, terran Sarah in the back of her mind.

The real problem was this intruder, this new chess piece on the board. Who was captain Tamasino? What was he doing here and at this time? She had the distinct feeling that she had encountered him some time in the past, but she couldn't really recall when. She had many, no, countless enemies from all the three races: terran, protoss-even zerg at times.

" A mercenary fleet with the capacity to kick Mengsk's ass in one strike and keep themselves hidden under the radar... impressive! I'll have to meet their leader one day and have him tell me his secrets. Probably infest him too!" she spoke to herself, aloud, despite the repeated inner protests of her still terran soul and mind.

 _What had happened on Aiur in the meantime..._

Rosemary Dahl could barely contain her indignation... and the torrent of insults she devised for whatever son of a gun was leading the enemy protoss. Tal-beri/Tal-de-rim or whatever they were called had one of the best securities she had come across in her entire life. That said very much, since she was an expert on breaking in all sorts of houses, factories, targets of military, financial importance, but this here's cave system was absurdly well guarded. There were only two entrances, both of which had 30 zealots and templars patroling them.

Zamara had warned her that high templars were able to sense her if she got too close and with the geology of the location, that was highly likely. Those protoss were menacing. Their warp blades shone with bright red colour, as if alit with vengeance, madness. Their eyes would have turned her to stone, were they to gaze upon her own, she thought.

Eventually, Rosemary used one of her least favourite methods: _**" attracting the wild life".**_

And, in this case, the wild life meant zerg, as risky as it would be. She backed away from the cave, in search of a pack of zerglings or a couple of hydralisks. With her C10 canister rifle and ghost suit she should be able to escape whatever threat trailing zerg to the crystal cave would bring.

After an hour of useless searching, she came upon a lone zerg base, with a hatchery, a spawning pool and a couple of other structures. None of the denizens of the place expected a belt of fragmentation grenades to be thrown into the open mouth of the hatchery. The resulting explosion destroyed the said structure, startling and enraging the zerg around.

Rosemary decloaked for a few seconds and activated her hologram projector. The pictures she had taken of the enemy protoss now seemed to be the ones that attacked the Swarm. Immediately after, a zerg rush would have been triggered, so Rosemary used the small amount of time that she had to break into a run to the protoss crystal cave. Indeed, not five minutes later, after the initial shock was over, the feral zerg started organizing themselves into packs and went after their prey. Her run was thankfully enhanced by the ghost environmental protection suit that she wore. Plus, the cloaking device allowed her to escape one too many attempts on her life by the approaching hydralisks.

Thanking whatever gods were out there, Rosemary Dahl reached the area of the cave. Using her goggles, she could spot the protoss defenders, so all she had to do was climb one of the taller trees and project the hologram in the right direction. Without a higher concience guiding them, nor enough overlords to make up for the lack of the Queen of Blades's influence, the zerg were stupid enough to take the bait.

" _What? The zerg have found us? That cannot be!" one of the Tal'Darim zealots said as he activated his psyblades and began slicing the incoming zerglings._

" _Calm yourself, fearless warrior!" a female high templar interceded, as she created a small scale psionic storm. " The zerg are many, while we are still few in comparison. It was bound to happen some time!"_

Not risking letting her thoughts run wild while being around psychics, Rosemary used the small window of opportunity to get past the now occupied protoss defenders and into the cave. The tunnel was mostly narrow, yet there were parts where it got wider and taller, plus it was illuminated by many khaydarin crystals. Cyan, ocean blue and dark blue lights emanated from them, much to her eyes' appreciation. Lucky for her, the suit had a been one of the modified versions, which allowed for nearly unlimited cloaking duration. Only a severe damage to the inner batteries and the conductors would render that perk useless. Keeping her mind on her goal, she took a look at the map that Ladranix had given her. It was intricate, but not impossible to read. Might take her a while to get to the destination, but, what the heck? She didn't have anything better to do around here; apart from keeping herself alive, of course.

 _Meanwhile, somewhere else on Aiur..._

" Cursed, freakin' stupid, useless zerg!" Ethan Stewart spat, as he defended his hive cluster from yet another wave of feral zerg. Kerrigan, for fear of having another rebellion under her nose, had outfitted Stewart with minimal psionic control abilities, meaning that he was actually able to use a single leviathan and command a maximum of one brood without the help of other brood mothers. As a result, he needed a large number of overlords to aid him in reigning in his armies.

" The Queen must be thinking that I'm either incompetent or is still holding me to her strange tests!" he spoke aloud with a mixture of longing and disgust. His new self was still in conflict with some of his former personality's more independent characteristics. " But that doesn't matter now, does it? After I gain her trust, I will be taking my revenge on all those that have wronged me!"

Ethan Stewart finished off the last of the stragglers, then gathered up a strong battle group, which he led against the enemy hive clusters. He would bring them under his control, or they would be destroyed. Such is his and his Queen's will! The scout groups he had previously sent would no doubt catch Rosemary and Ramsey's trails.

 ** _Back in the Argonaut Capital of Satark..._**

Captain Schnitt finished the secret meeting that he had held. Nearly all of his former kel-morian lieutenants agreed with the plan that he had laid out. If Marcu Andronic would refuse to help them in their plight against overseer Kaljo and his lackeys, he would have a mutiny on his hands. He had called in too many favors so that he could see this through and no one was going to keep him and his people from their goal. One way or another, revenge will be sated.

After dressing himself in his black and blue business suit, Schnitt pocketed his revolver, his tablet and a few other odds and ends, before joining his second, Henri (captain of the Gladius battlecruiser). The two then made their way to the Admiral's quarters, which, surprisingly, were open... and empty.

The only other place where he could be was either the command centre's cantina. Their confidence renewed, the two reached the cantina just as the Admiral was about to leave. Other than them, only the barman plus a couple of marines were left; none will prove too problematic, he thought.

"There you are, Andronic! I wanted to have a word with you concerning a new, very important issue! If you'd be so kind as to sit down at that table, so that we might talk in peace?"Schnitt began, intentionally using a too formal tone.

The Admiral gave him a wary look before shrugging his shoulders and sitting down at the largest table in the middle of the room. The other two marines bore the tags of his battle guards, yet they hadn't spared the trio a glance ever since they began their talk. Skillful bastards that may yet prove problematic, should things go south.

Schnitt ordered a bottle of light drinks for them, before fishing out his tablet and laying it in the middle of the table. After typing in his overly complicated password, the device revealed a lot of hidden files, both texts, images, films. In the meantime, the barman brought them their order.

"You can drop the act now, Schnitt! Better tell me what're you up to!"Andronic spoke casually, as he sipped from the champagne cocktail.

"Act? What act?"the other argonaut commander answered increduosly. "I'm actually being straightforward with you, _sir_ , for what you see are actually my plans! Take a look at them first, then we might begin our argument!"he added with a business like attitude.

Andronic pulled the tablet under his eyes and began to carefully analyze the data that was being presented to him. Most of it revolved around a certain overseer Kaljo, that he had heard of. As Esmeralda informed him all those months ago, it was this particular guy that left Schnitt, Henri and the rest of the kel-morian expedition to fend for themselves against the looming Dominion threat. The enemy fleet that hailed from Septuaginta would have crushed them, were it not for his and his UED remnants intervening. The slide shows brought another disturbing fact to his attention: this situation was not singular.

"That bastard left us to die, when he could have sent us support!"Henri interjected, his voice filled with poison. He then downed his glass, before continuing, more intent than before. "We have called in all the favours that we could, so that we might track down the bastard! It wasn't easy, but it would certainly be worth it!"

" Indeed, Kaljo messed up more than anyone else in his position ever could. Unlucky for us, he has plenty of powerful friends that have managed to bail him out of nasty situations more than once. Now however, the past is catching up to him and biting him in the ass!"Schnitt continued that trail of talk. He himself downed his drink and now had a dangerous look in his eyes. A criminal's gaze. " The wretch got what was coming for him! Me, my men and our contacts - we piled up more than enough incriminating evidence against him. General Mah Sakai cannot turn a blind eye this time!"

"This guy is as ruthless, stupid and hardheaded as anyone in his position could ever be! Ever since he was appointed as the overseer of the mining and space exploration teams, he behaved like an ass! There were many times when an expedition needed supplies, both in ecquipment or food or military support and he declined such request. He spat on our efforts, while he sat there in his comfy ol'chair, not giving a shit about our lives! His only interest was bleeding honest explorers and miners like us dry, all the while selling the relief supplies to third partys. Profit and self preservation was all that he would care for!"Henri added.

Andronic could not argue with the two. What ample evidence they had piled up (which was the same that he had been presented with), indeed pointed out that that Kaljo guy was as cowardly and uncaring about his subordinates as they portrayed him. Moreover, this was the exact situation that the kel-morian wing of the Argonauts were faced with months ago; Esmeralda's report was thorough.

"From what our contacts sent us, Kaljo had been taken before the general, who threatened him with the death sentence, should he fail to see to the needs of the Redstone III colony. Mind you, that volcanic planet is home to immense quantities of Jorium and other rich, rare minerals! Even so, this bastard did not provide them with the necessary means to exploit them properly. The constant lava erruptions and the unstable ground forces the SCVs and the buildings to move from spot to spot. On the other hand, the almost cyclical erruptions are practically yielding new mineral fields in under a day. Extremely profitable, should one choose to invest massively into such an endeavor. Transport ships, command centres and other buildings capable of self proppeling themselves out of danger, miners, foodstuffs and the such is key to a succesful, safer operation. Still, he chose not to commit his alloted funds as it was required of him. Should, say for example, the Dominion, the Swarm or the Protoss choose to attack the planet and the colony, they wouldn't stand a chance, nor will they receive any help!"Schnitt seethed. He was incredibly angry and the alcoholic drink he just had did not help; on the contrary, it made it easier for him to confront Andronic and tell him all those things.

"We followed you faithfully ever since you saved our asses from the Dominion. The alliance that we formed, The Argonauts... we strived to honour it to the best of our abilities. We followed you into battle without a second thought, trusting you to keep us safe. You cannot deny that! Now, after all our sacrifices, we demand that you follow through with _our_ plan, this time! I repeat: four days from now, overseer Kaljo will visit Redstone III, which is pretty far off from the Combine's territories. We shall raid the facility, try to enlist the help of the colonists against him, capture or kill him, then commandeer the exploitation for as long as we wish - by the way, this detail remains to be seen. I know that we suffered casualties recently, but we simply cannot allow this opportunity to be squandered! Either you accept our terms and go on to discuss the finer details of the plan, or we do it without you!"Schnitt added after a short pause, his eyes glaring daggers at Andronic.

" No, asta-i chiar culmea! Dintre toate zilele, fix pe asta ați ales-o! Fute-v-ar caii încă astăzi de nenorociți!" ( Damnit, of all the days you could have picked! May you be raped by a stable of horses, you bastards!) Andronic swore, as he left the table.

The other two, however would not relent. Schnitt and Henri armed their revolvers and aimed them at their Admiral without a second thought.

"I don't know what you said, but it sure as hell didn't sound nice! You will accept these terms, or there would be problems! Do not force our hands, Admiral!" Schnitt shouted, as he removed his weapon's safety system.

 **Author's Note**

 _ **\- so there you have it! Writing this chapter had been especially difficult, for I am currently about to move to Germany for my University years.**_

 ** _\- also, I've been having difficulties with laying down the finer details of my story, plus managing the ever growing plots. Also, keeping track of what I've written is hard, that I admit!_**

 ** _Also, leave your review and let me know what you think of this chapter (or the story altogether)_**

 ** _Do you have a suggestions or are you eager to help in the development of the plot or the characters? Cool! Leave your thoughts in the review section or send them to me via PM._**

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 **Oh, and for those that do not know yet, I also have two other stories revolving around the Star Wars franchise: "A madman's innocence" ; "Path of the Dark Jedi Jaden Korr"**

 **By all means, please have a look!**

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 **Thanks for reading my fanfic!**

 **See you next time!**

 **Serdancos out!**


	16. 16: Dirty l-Morian Business

**Disclaimer:** I do not by any means own Starcraft, nor do I make a profit from any activity relating with the franchise.

 **Author's note:** _ **First, I would like to thank all my readers for viewing my fanfiction! It is always great to see that people appreciate your work! :)) If you would be so kind as to give your opinion about this story, I would appreciate it. If it got you interested, you can always follow it! ;)**_

 _ **Still, I liked both the game and the story very much. Thus I felt I should develop part of it in a new way. The UED fascinated me and the perspective of a terran remnant group, light years away from Earth, with no chance of going back and having to confront an entire sector seemed to be a good starting point for a story involving both the original characters and some new, unique ones. I will try to stick to the original story as best as I can. However, remember that this is a fanficiton and not everything must go according to the letter.**_

 _ **New notes:**_ **Finally moved to Heidelberg, Germany. I'm still accommodating, so it will be a one month-two month break inbetween chapters, aproximatively. Might be quicker, no guarantees tho.**

 **Chapter 16:** _ **Dirty business. Kel-Morian business**_

 _Satark's Command Centre cantina, 10:24 AM the same day…_

"Schnitt, I swear it, you've found the worst time possible to come up with such demands!" the Admiral warned with a strange tone.

" Oh? Have I?" the former Kel-Morian leader crossed his arms and shook his head in disbelief. " Is it not you that keeps getting us in all sorts of trouble? In case you haven't noticed, our manpower pool is shrinking! Did you hear me just now? SHRINKING, DYING, you name it! Cause of the last battle, one I didn't even have a say about!? We lost Battlecruisers, Wraiths, Vikings your precious Walkiries and other men. The machines we might replace, but how are you going to man them, hmmm?" he retorted, already nervous.

" Think about it, _Admiral_ " Henri interjected with a hint of smugness. "If we manage to take out Kaljo with next to minimum casualties, the colonists will join us; we'll make sure of that!" he smirked.

Admiral Marcu Andronic was somewhere inbetween the nail and the hammer now. The nail was the ongoing agricultural problem that he had to solve by sending Esmeralda to the neutral worlds that he agreed upon. The hammer was obviously the Dominion, but one now had to add the KMC, the Zerg and, much to his surprise, the formerly morian Argonauts. He was starting to feel the pressure that he until now ignored. This blackmail that his number two subordinate threw at him would lead to their forces being deployed in many directions; spread too thin for his liking. Was he going to back down and let those two jokers take command like that? Probably not!

" Are you implying that **I** should think about it? You obviously didn't, otherwise you wouldn't have picked a time like this for your little show of cowardly mutiny! We have a food problem, you numbskulls! Understand? I have to sent quite a few of our fresh troops and workers to trade with third parties, in order to gather what we need! Look back on our history, Henri! Whenever we had a mission, there have been unexpected situations, usually for the worst. What if Mah Sakai decides to help Kaljo and engage us? What if, say, those mining colonies join us, but choose to reveal our location to the rest of the Koprulu Sector for a bag of credits and a promotion? My Decebalus is not yet battleworthy; nor is my mech! Other ships are either like this or in worse condition. Tell me now, what do you expect me to do, hmmm?!"

Schnitt growled for a few moments and had to take in deep breaths in order to centre himself. Henri's hand on his right shoulder reminded him not to be too brash or stupid. They had to push their plan forward, preferably without the mutiny. The Gladius and the Moonreaver were actually in good shape, thanks to their competent crews. Plus, Schnitt did have a few days for emergency repairs and resupplying. But, begrudgingly, he had to agree with the Admiral. The rest of the fleet suffered significant damage. The Lancaster, the Decebalus had to stay in dry dock for at least a week. The Scorpio class cruisers as well. Four Minotaur class ships had been lost in battle… that left him with quite a few problems. The only completely Kel-morian ships were his and Henri's. There were two more fresh Minotaurs, but that was it. When it came to fighters, they would lack walkiries, obviously. Wraiths, not so much. Vikings, those were still fewer in numbers than he would have felt safe with. Cursed Dominion.

" It's a risk I am willing to take!" he shouted back, resolve in his eyes, stance and voice. " If the economic, manpower and personal factors will not be able to convince you, then I am afraid our partnership may be at an end!"

The Kel-Morian, being concentrated on his train of thought and what he was telling the Admiral, did not register a shocked Esmeralda watching that last part of the argument play out.

 _The aforementioned ghost's perspective…_

She couldn't be happier! This was one of the best mornings in her life! Sweet, caring Josef, her unofficial fiancé and soon to be husband had given her a most beautiful gift: her wedding dress, complete with shoes and accessories. How he got everything right in sizes, colours and shapes, she didn't know. Not that she particularly cared about such details. She was overjoyed. She couldn't wait to tell her father about all this. He would surely know when was the best date for the magnificent event.

Sending a small mind probing signal, she found him to be in the cantina. However, she also felt a trace of anger and frustration coming from him, which, though not unusual in general, was… different. No matter, she would get to the bottom of this!

Walking through the many halls of the by now enlarged Command Centre (which acted as the HQ of the Solaris System), she beamed at the other passers-by, a rare sight, most of them thought. Even more rare was the fact that she was wearing normal clothes, a pair of jeans, a shirt and a jacket plus track shoes, instead of her Hekate-Ghost suit. Her legs picked up the pace, as that annoyance and anger grew in intensity, now also including regret and confusion. What an emotional cocktail! Just what was going on?

Eventually, she reached the cantina doors. No one was around, so she decided to take a quick glance inside. Well, she was in for a shock.

There was her father, practically pinned down at a table in the middle by none other than… Schnitt, of all people! And there was Henri too! She then heard the captain say his piece:

" _It's a risk I am willing to take!"_ he shouted, intent on whatever this was about _. " If the economic, manpower and personal factors will not be able to convince you, then I am afraid our partnership may be at an end!"_

The finality of those words left her speechless.

" _End their partnership? What did he mean by that?"_ After less than a minute, she connected the dots. _" No, no, NO! He couldn't mean that! He just saved us from the mouth of hell. He's been with us through thick and thin! We're about to finally have something nice going on in our country! What's he doing? Why is he like this?"_

She couldn't help herself but intervene in this already nightmarish situation.

" WHY?" she shouted, but then her voice died out, until it became little more than an audible whisper of anguish. " Why be like this? Why leave us, lovable fool?"

Her voice seemed to have gotten through to him, as the morian turned to face her. It was nigh impossible for someone to discern anything beyond the distrust, resent and lust for revenge that his face was showing. But that didn't faze her, for she saw it in his eyes before he opened his mouth to speak. A trace of regret.

" I assume you heard what I just said, right?" at the nod of her head, he continued, his tone less harsh, though the hostility towards Andronic was still there. " Well you, of all people, should understand what this is like! What would you have done, if you happened to get your hands on the CEO of the Ghost Academy, hmm?" he gave her a long look, that spoke miles of how much hate he harboured towards his former superior.

What would she do in this case? That was pretty obvious: the bastard would pay dearly for the endless horrors that she'd been put through. The needles of various sizes, the IV's filled with Gods knew what, the training regimen that got you sitting on your grave's margin… the screams, the beatings, the isolation in that dark, lightless room for days… no-no-no-NO!

Her heartbeats started picking up, while her eyes started to get wet. A couple of tears found their way down her cheeks, small rivulets of pain and sorrow. The memories, his words, what the lovable fool wanted to do, all of those overwhelmed her. The stress of battle, the psionic powers, the deadly bullets flying all around her, zerg, protoss, terran scum, she could handle anything, but the betrayal of one she considered a most dear friend, almost a sort of brother. No, that was simply too much!

Through her blurried vision, she could see him turn his head to the side, in shame. A trace of his thoughts reached her: he never wanted to hurt her or any of them, but this had to be done. It was a sort of resignation to the fate he had chosen for himself- the path of revenge, on the altar of which he was ready to sacrifice everything.

" Now you see! I wanted us to do this together, like a team!" he pleaded with her, ignoring the rather looks he received from the others. A quick glance over to Andronic reminded him of why he had been so hostile. " But it seems that this isn't a team… is it, _**Marcu**_ ?"he now took a few steps back from the table and fully faced his superior. " We always have to do what you say, follow you wherever you go, agree to your proposals, your plans, but when we want to do something for ourselves…"

" WHICH is completely careless and puts all of our lives at risk!" replied Andronic, sick of taking punches.

" … you overrule us, shoot us down, tell us to shove it! Well, no more of that! If you can't see reason, then I'm taking my stakes out of this; my toys obey my rules, so to say! Goodbye!"

Without another word, he exited the establishment, followed closely by Henri, who spared Esmeralda an apologetic look, before returning to his serious glare.

With the two of them left, it was as if an ominous aura had befallen the place. None of them said a thing. The two guards, the barman, the Admiral, Esmeralda, each and every one of them was stunned. Marcu had hoped that by remaining strong in his beliefs and keeping true to his decisions and plans, he could make his friend see reason. Yet, he had failed there. Schnitt was like a bull in a Pamplona arena: he could and would only see the annoying toreador, nothing else.

Thinking past that, he couldn't fathom the idea that the former morians would live the Argonauts. Unthinkable! It was so hard to imagine life without them, after all, they were by now intertwined with his other subjects. They had made friends with the Earth-born terrans, some formed families, other were in vital positions, such as scientific development, factory administration and so on.

Did he not listen to the pleas of his people? Had he not offered them the best possible outcome, the best means, which, given the dire situations they've been put through, have been available? Yes, he did that! And no amount of regret over his once great friend and collaborator would change that.

Still, damage control had to be made. Plus, Esmeralda needed to be told of her next mission.

He walked up to her still shaken form and helped her gather herself up. He hated to be the one that told her this now, but she had to get over that…scum's decision and think about the bigger picture.

With a sign of his head, his trusted guards left them alone, exiting the area. The barman, a smart fellow, soon followed.

Esmeralda found herself in the caring, tender arms of her father, who was cooing to her, doing his best to alleviate her pain. And she rested her head on his chest, quietly sobbing and letting her tears drain down her cheeks.

" _Such a good morning, it should have been a wonderful day. Father would have been overjoyed; he would have forgotten about his worries. Schnitt would have cracked a few jokes, perhaps even pouted a little that he wasn't the one to get me!" she laughed mentally at that image. " Our little family moment!"_

A gentle hand was stroking her head, her long, green hair, while a dear old voice was singing a dearer lullaby. It was the only song that she understood. He had sung it to her so many times, that she memorized the meaning:

" _ **Inchide ochii dulci,  
Caci viata-i doar o clipa,  
Mai bine sa te culci,  
Pe-a visului aripa.**_

 _ **Inchide ochii dulci  
Caci viata-i o minciuna,  
In vise-i fericirea,  
Copile, noapte buna!"**_

 _ **(Close your eyes, sweet thing,**_

 _ **For life is just a moment,**_

 _ **Better for you to fall asleep,**_

 _ **On a beautiful dream's wing.**_

 _ **Close your eyes, sweet thing**_

 _ **For life's a lie,**_

 _ **In your dreams lays hapiness**_

 _ **Goodnight, my dear child!)**_

Not surprisingly, as the lullaby came to an end, she had drifted to sleep. She was in a world in which there were no worries, just beautiful dreams. One of them was of her and Josef sitting on the rooftop of their new mansion on Solaris VI. She was carrying their youngest daughter in her arms, while their 4 year old son was having a great time riding on her husband's shoulders. All four of them were watching the sunset of the Solaria. The system's star was a like a twin of what Josef had described the Sun was. The yellowy orange colour faded little by little, but it's heat never stopped caressing their faces. All that effort, all their struggles… it was worth it.

Esmeralda Andronic-Harding spared her husband a glance, before leaning closer to him and giving him a much coveted kiss, full of passion. Their son laughed at them, while their daughter giggled cutely.

 _Meanwhile…_

The Admiral took his daughter in his arms and carried her back to her room, giving icily glares to anyone that stopped to watch. Eventually, he reached the place without any issues and laid her on the bed, always careful not to disturb her still peaceful sleep.

With his fatherly job done by now, he turned to leave, only to be stopped by Josef's hushed voice.

" Sir, what happened to her?" he asked on a worried tone, while glancing at both his fiancé and his superior.

" Schnitt's what's happened to her! Fucking idiot, I ought to beat him to a pulp for what he's gotten us into!" Andronic retorted, his tone vengeful, even hushed as it was.

"… what has he done?" Josef Harding replied on a pondered, yet still criminal tone.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, just threatening me, us, with mutiny if we didn't agree to his demands!" Andronic answered sarcasticly.

"And what did you do? Did you cave in to his demands?" Josef was getting more furious with each second, although he had every right to be so.

" Of course not! I still don't know what to do about it! They could paralyze our economy, our society and our military through this little stunt of theirs! Think about it: if we sanction their decision, they might think they have leverage over me-over us. If we don't, then I'll have to issue a restriction order on all formerly kel-morian Argonauts and try to arrest Schnitt and Henri. You can only imagine what that would lead to…"

" … Chaos, unrest, unbalance and so on, right?" Josef said after a short pause and a deep intake of air. He spared his soon to be wife one more glance, admiring her sleeping form, her beautiful face, praying that she wouldn't face so many hardships and emotional stress in the future. He'll do his best to help her, to protect her, to be at her side in times of need.

Admiral Marcu Andronic signaled for Josef to follow him to his own quarters. Once they found themselves there, he showed his deputee officer what Schnitt had given him. The small, portable computer and the tablet contained all the possible outcomes and difficulties that the mission against Overseer Kaljo might present.

Carefully and thoroughly analyzing the data, both of them had to admit that the morian had practically overplanned this attempt at revenge. It seemed that he had pulled a lot of strings, called in countless favours in order to compile all the evidence he needed against his former leader. With what was here, not even the leader of the Combine, general Mah Sakai, could let his underling's stupidity and lack of tact go unpunished. Still, the question remained: Just how did he convince the general to send the overseer to Redstone III, of all places?

" Guess he knows how his fellows act, doesn't he?" interjected Josef, his tone still glacial.

" True! I still don't like how this is going! We're too vulnerable, not to talk that you and Esmeralda would have to go and fulfill this particular mission!" he added, giving his subordinate a data-disk containing the plan he made for the mitigation of the food crisis.

Josef eyed the device suspiciously, but nonetheless put it in his own tablet and skimmed through the synopsis, the details, the numbers. His intense gaze was focused on the electronic document. Carefully, he made mental notes as to how to proceed, what alternatives to take, how many crew members, how many provisions, fuel…

Ten minutes later, he finally answered Andronic's silent question.

" So, me and my love have to go to Agria, Shiloh, Halycon and Bountiful? Neutral planets, though a little far from each other… it will take some time!"

" Yes, and that is what I am afraid of! We have to establish a sustainable economy. Schroeder, you know, the minister of economy and industry, told me that we need to be independent of any foreign aid; as if I didn't know that already! Agriculture, industry, basic services, all those issues will have to be solved as quickly as possible, preferably in less than two months."

" I know, sir , and I understand, but you are stretching our forces pretty thinly in this attempt of yours! While the two of us are away, Schnitt and his loyalists as well, you'll be undermanned and will have to stay behind to micromanage the Solaris System!"

" Hey, don't worry about me! Remember, I was more than fit to lead the colonization Fleet Helios III! It was I who established UED rule in the Lot System!" he smiled fondly at the memory of times when you didn't have to worry about zerg, protoss or any such crap; just what the unexplored worlds would poise.

Josef too gave him an appreciative nod, but nonetheless, the tension did not disappear. This ominous feeling, that something would happen…

True, until now, things haven't gone exactly as planned, but they always prevail. He could only hope that it would continue to be so!

 _*Four days ago, on Moria, capital of the Kel-Morian Combine…*_

General Mah Sakai was known to be a patient, cold, calculating man. Even ruthless at times. He treated his subordinates quite fairly, that was, if they were loyal, sincere and, above all, USEFUL.

Overseer Kaljo was none of those things right now.

The leader of the KMC, an accomplished general and strategic genius well in his sixties, Mah Sakai managed to lead his faction of the Terran Space through countless hardships. First the Guild Wars, then the countless skirmishes with the Confederacy, following the peace deal. The combine and Moria, to be specific, were hit hard by a zerg invasion that slaughtered hundreds of thousands, infested three cities and pillaged their mineral reserves. Granted, working under the UED's tight leash (tutelage, as they so fancily called it), couldn't have been considered profitable in the least. On the other hand, the raid conducted by the zerg-protoss-dominion' freaky alliance left them broke… and broken.

It had taken him years of careful diplomatic actions to weave mutually beneficial economic treaties with the Umojan Protectorate, some small time independent planets and systems, but the most straining point was dealing with the cursed Dominion. Arcturus Mengsk was a shrewd bastard. Thanks to him and his vast army of resocs and war mongers, the Kel-Morian Combine- bound by a _**finder's keeper's**_ treaty regarding colonizing and exploiting new planets- lost its edge.

Add to that the fact that in 2502, thanks to rumors regarding the safeguarding of Raynor's Raiders on Moria (which were actually true, but the Koprulu Sector didn't have to know about that), the capital world had suffered from an embargo on foodstuffs and medical supplies. Famine, diseases hit the morians the hardest. As a result, the general increased pressure on the " _Explorers Corps"_ , which were expected to travel deep into contested and uncontested space, seeking out unclaimed- or at least unoccupied- planets.

One of the persons that were tasked with overseeing such progress was Kaljo Tun, hence his rank. Yet the man had proven to be… inflexible in his thinking patterns, to put it mildly, too strict for his own good, to put it simply. He had refused sending much needed supplies and reinforcements to new worlds for mostly stupid, unvalid reasons. On top of his failure list ranked losing tow unclaimed star systems on the edge of Dominion held space to the previously named faction.

As if that weren't enough, Kaljo was repeatedly accused of cowardice, corruption and embezzlement. Not that such tags were unheard of, but the complaints started piling up on the general's desk.

Most recent one came from delegate-governor Tavish Kerr, former leader of the Meinhoff group that has by now relocated to Redstone III. The said man asked for three Hercules-class transportships full of miners, guards, foodstuffs and spare parts. In return, he promised a well stocked shipment of Jorium enriched minerals. Such substances, once smelted, shaped into varous alloys, would turn out to be invaluable in future endeavours.

Therefore, as he was laying out his plans for capitalizing on the new resource, he sent for the by now incompetent overseer Kaljo.

The 46 year old man was hasitily brought before the office of the most powerful man on this side of the K. Sector. Truth be told, he was afraid. Even at his age, Kaljo's gray hair was a sign of much stress, nerves and what not. His brown eyes burned with the desire to reach, stepping stone after stepping stone, the position of respected (feared) leader. The scars on his face were clear signs of his 15 years spent as an armyman on the frontlines of his nation. His smug smirk put most around him off balance, while his voice, demanding, cruel and rough, put most in their places. Add to that the fact that he had a tall, rather large build, dressed in an all black armored costume and you'll get a menacing man.

To his demise though, he was shadowed by the general's persona. No matter how much he tried to appear calm, standing in the same room with Mah'Sakai was difficult. Being brought up in front of him in the middle of the night was outright frightening.

Inhaling deeply, he knocked on the door three times, announced himself, entered the Spartan looking office and knelt in front of the desk, waiting.

He didn't have to wait long.

" Get up, you scheming little rat! I've had it with the countless files against you that I've been receiving! You have one minute to explain yourself before I order your execution!" the severe, threatening tone of Mah'Sakai bellowed.

Overseer Kaljo instinctively rolled his eyes, trying to quickly find a way out, a distraction, an advantage of sorts.

The general met his gaze and, slowly and theatricly, put a combat reveolver on his desk- magazine full, of course! The criminal smile that forming on his superior's face threw him off balance.

Swallowing the building lump in his throat, Kaljo began his story:

" Those that have filed the complaints against me have forgotten the greater picture…SIR! Throwing themselves aimlessly at vast reaches of space, jumping from planet to planet without proper preparations or thinkin straight….!

" Something that you should have seen to, "overseer"!

Their job is to claim planets and resources for us. You may not know it, sitting in your fancy office all day, but those men and women are risking their lives, their belongings by venturing into the unknown, in order to make a life for themselves and help bring their nation riches and influence! Your job is to provide them with logistics, support, advice!" the general cut him abruptly by punching his desk so hard, that the pistol shook. " AND YOU FAILED!" he shouted.

Something snapped inside Kaljo at the words. How dare his superior call him a failure, after all he'd done for the Combine? Ungrateful, greedy bastard-bastards. All of them: explorers, colonists, armymen, XOs, politicians, every one of those pests asked him for a favour, a bonus an "extra something" every freaking time. How could he explain them that a budget, a spending plan, a political treaty couldn't be abrogated or ignored. The agreements that they signed needed to stay that way- such was the waiver they signed when they'd chosen their job.

Kaljo swore that he had seen many of these newfounded colonies take up unauthorized trading with other factions, practically spitting on his efforts.

But, as always, nobody ever talked about that, no! All the blame had to fall on his shoulders, effectively mudding his image.

"Sir!" he spoke with barely contained disdain, while clenching and unclenching his fists. " Those that took to colonizing disputed space almost always run into a Dominion task force! Nowhere near enough backup could be sent- in their cases- to reinforce our claims. And if we were to send substantial backup, Mengsk might see it as a _casus belli_ against his realm! Take for example that idiot Schnitt's attempt at colonizing the worlds beyond Septuaginta- beyond a DOMINION STARPORT PLANET! He practically called his death upon himself, that's why I cut him loose! Plus…" he added while prolonging the word. "… you yourself told us not to get into any skirmish with Mengsk and his lapdogs! I was following orders, most of the time. The rest was the unexpected working against me!"

That was it. That was all that he could come up with in his defence at that particular time, unprepared and all. He kept a straight back, head, gaze, anything to give off the impression of a sincere, yet not spineless subordinate.

After a couple of minutes of deliberation, in which the general "casually" played with the safety of his sidearm pistol, even aiming it at Kaljo a couple of times, the former took a piece of paper and started writing on it.

Another dreadful, intentionally slow, ten minutes passed, before Mah'Sakai put on his creepy, wide grin, while extending the sheet to the by now sweating, almost trembling overseer.

"Were I you - which I would despise to the point of suicide- I would read that paper very, very carefully!" the general said on a low, yet cold, clear tone, while he leaned back in his chair, his pistol in hand.

Overseer Kaljo reached for the paper. Just then, Mah'Sakai started loading and unloading bullets in the revolver. Trying not to mind him, he slowly scanned the general's stylistic handwriting. It took another five minutes to let out a rather loud sigh of relief.

According to the form he was given, Kaljo retained his position, although only momentarily and stripped of many benefits and privileges. What's more, he was on probation. Yes, the new status was akin to a prison parol: he had to behave exceptionally well in order to regain his former prestige, if that was even possible. For now, Kaljo had to personally inspect the progress of explorer Tavish Kerr on the planet of Redstone III. He rememberd having invested little in Meinhoff's former governor's mining venture.. It would seem that he was wrong: the mineral yield had been high. On top of that, a recent study showed that the proven reserves were enormous, plus, the constant volcanic erruptions replenished the fields. Only problem was… the said eruptions required a very versatile mobile operation. Stabile grounds were few and far between.

There were, however, a few impediments, such as the planet being far away from the secure part of the Kel-Morian Space, also close to formerly zerg and Dominion held planets. Add to that the fact that he didn't get on well with Kerr and one would know why Kaljo didn't take a liking in his newest assignment. But… being out of options did overrule that predicament. He couldn't simply refuse. The only other alternative was that revolver in the general's hands.

" _Seven… eight days from now… it would be just enough time to prepare, but I hardly know what would happen!" he dwelled a bit on the matter. " I suppose I could call in some favours and ask a couple of people for some support. Some bodyguards wouldn't hurt- neither would having enough credits to bribe my way out of trouble!"_

" Thank you for this chance, sir!" he finally replied on a submissive tone. " I'll do my best, this time!"

Mah' Sakai hated sniveling bastards such as the one facing the ground now. He daren't look his superior in the eyes, eh? Well, if he wasn't so darn lucky to have powerful friends… this revolver would be used the instant he comes back to report from his task. Oh, how he would like to have someone dispose of this piece of trash! But hiring assassins would be too obvious, so…

He would think of it later; surely there were some good ideas in the back of his mind.

" You have your orders, scum! Carry them out to the letter, else your body would be tied to a torture table and your skin would be peeled off, inch by inch! DON'T test my patience! Now go before I change my mind!" he waved his hand towards the door.

Knowing that saying or doing anything more was not only useless, but also dangerous, Kaljo Tun made himself scarce. The instant he was out of the building, he let out a heavy, loud sigh.

He now had to fix this trouble he got himself in. Perhaps this job wouldn't be so nasty.

 _Back to the present…_

 _Aiur, the crystal caves…_

Rosemary Dahl listed about a hundred curses in her head, reciting each of them with religiosity. The tunnels were varied in sizes, some extremely large, while others small enough that she'd had to squeeze through them like rat. Just thinking about getting stuck like that was enough to unsettle her.

Luckily for her, the equipment she'd packed proved its worth. The climbing cables and claws had allowed her to scale the vertical walls on many occasions. The cloaking device had saved her from to many prying eyes of the Tal'Deram/Tal'Derim, something, protoss patrols. But the map, cursed be that thing, managed to get her nuts. Why it lead her through the most annoying parts of the rather gigantic cave system, she did not know. Had the place suffered any changes since that guy Ladranix had last been here? Possibly. But that didn't comfort her.

Thinking back on the ridiculousness of the situation, she couldn't help herself but mentally laugh at it. Here she was, on Aiur, of all places, sneaking into a cave filled with stimmed, angry protoss fanatics that would chop her to pieces on first sight. And for what? For helping the soul of some protoss genius that got herself stuck in Ramsey, that brainiac.

" _Question was, how did those two freaks get together in the first place? Guy must be thinking he's mad by now! Can't say I blame him, though!" she thought_.

Finally, about an hour later, she came upon a large, central room, from which three other tunnels spanned. It wasn't the place she was after, but the map said it was in the right direction, if the larger crystals growing out of the ceiling were of any help.

…

Something was very…very wrong about this place. Despite the hostile environmental suit that she was wearing, Rosemary was cold. She felt her hairs suddenly raise. Shivers started creeping up and down her body. What was happening?

A bright ball of blueish-white light appeared from one of the tunnels, blinding her on the spot. Next thing she knew, a wave of electricity sparked the area, starting to mess with her suit's cloaking system. Her invisibility was fading away rapidly and not a minute later, she found herself facing the… creature. Its eyes filled with the dreadful hatred of what her merc colleagues might have dubbed "boogeyman". But this one wasn't a man, nor was he a normal protoss, that she could tell.

Before she could move, an energy hand grabbed, painfully squeezing her form. The bones cried in pain, not broken, but soon to be. Her muscles were straining themselves, trying to escape. All her actions were…nullified by the voice.

" _**TERRAN! What do we have here? You've been trying to sneak past my people, past me?!**_

 _ **Such arrogance will not go unpunished! But rest assured, puny being! You won't die, no! You would be infinitely more useful, once I'll find out your secrets!"**_

" Look pal, I ain't got no secrets on me! If I did, I would be in a much better place, preferably a palace, enjoying a good old case of wine…" she anwered nonchalantly. Really now, what did she have to lose?

" _**YOU DARE MOCK ME?"**_ the apparition's freaky eyes widened, its strange face changing into a…protoss one with… what resembled a frown?

" Well, it's not like you caught me and threatened me with punishments!" she even yawned, despite the tinges of pain that she felt in her chest and neck areas. Her eyes looked positively bored.

"… _ **you are strange, terran! But I know you are hiding something, otherwise you wouldn't have come here… alone! You wished to steal one of our rarer Khaydarin crystals, yes? And you couldn't have known about this place without protoss help!"**_

Rosemary Dahl kept her self control as much as possible. It was becoming increasingly hard to stay so, but she'd be damned before letting this bastard have her intel.

As stupid as it sounded, she prayed that Jake/Zamarra and the other protoss will break her free.

" _**Haha! Now you realize it, puny being! But do not worry, for you shall be my first terran test subject to be exposed to Sundrop! Infested Terrans always did explode in short time. Maybe your DNA is strong enough, maybe not!"**_

The dark archon known as Xava'Tor laughed maniacally, before squeezing the daylight out of her. She was induced into a coma and dread gripped her, for she didn't know if she'd ever wake up again.

 _Back at the Argonaut capital of Satark, on Solaris Secunda…_

 _16:21 planet time_

Andronic was done with changing his clothes. He opted for his official black suit, to which he added his medals. He combed his hair into a haircut reminiscent of the 20th century youngsters (he was a big fan of history and liked to try all sorts of things from the past). A bit too classy, but he didn't mind. Next, he arranged his room, as he had neglected this particular duty of his. With how nice the rest of the day went, that had been his last care in the world. But now he had to clean up a little and organize his papers, memory disks and what not.

His mind kept racing back and forth at what he had to do. This dilemma was annoyingly difficult to solve.

\- Sanction Schnitt and Henri' action and try to dress the whole mess into an official expedition;

\- Brand those two's actions as trecharous and exile them and their lackeys;

\- Imprison the duo, while trying to disarm the rest of the former kel-morians.

None of those would do. He hated this. They had become an essential part of their new society. They worked hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder with his own people. Why they would throw it away like this, in a time of need, no less!?

He shook his head. To an extent, he could understand them. Given the perfect opportunity to take out Kerrigan, he would jump on it. Normally. But now, being responsible for so many terrans… he wouldn't put their lives on the line so easily.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

" Yes, you may enter!" he spoke with a neutral tone.

None other than Esmeralda entered, alone. Josef was preparing himself for the task at hand… and for the potential backlash of whatever will happen following Andronic's decision. His sweet little daughter (maybe not so little, after all, he thought with a warm smile) entered the room, closed the door behind her and sat herself on the bed, careful not to disturb the order of things.

" Father, I…"she started, but then looked away. He felt one of her thoughts: she was afraid of what was going to happen.

He turned around and sat next to her on the bed. Wordlessly, he pulled her into a soft embrace while he talked about the issue at hand.

" Leave me to worry about the details, _draga mea_! I've taken some precautions about all this! Schnitt has some moles in his forces that'll report to me, should something nasty happen! Also, one of those guys told me that he aims to contact Raynor and enlist his help, so I'll be having an insurance policy as well!"

" You seem to trust the Raiders quite a bit, father! What happened? I thought you hated them for what they did!?" asked a confused Esmeralda as she watched his features.

" Esmeralda, my dear, in no small part thanks to you being so humane on Deadman's Rock, I came to realize that his actions in the Brood Wars were… understandable, to say the least! Also, his love for Kerrigan had blinded him; he couldn't have known that she was still serving her interests as a zerg, rather than as a terran. Plus, he seems like an acceptable individual, on I feel I could work with in the future."

After a lengthy pause, she finally got the courage to ask him the question she was here for.

" Father… what is going to happen to Schnitt? Will he come back to us? Will you allow it? Will you allow all of this?" she spoke on a meek tone, uncharacteristic of her.

" It's really affecting you, isn't it?" at a nod of her head, he continued. " I've been thinking. So has he, I'm sure of it. The thing that I'm afraid of the most is that others will follow his example and use the circumstances to force my hand into allowing them to act of their own volition. You know I, we, cannot have that!"

" Could we talk to him? Knock some sense into him? When he was talking to you, both he and Henri were a little drunk, so who knows? Maybe he'll listen this time!?" she asked, too hopeful for her own health, he thought.

" HA! He drank alcohol because he knew he wouldn't have otherwise had the guts to talk like that to me, to us! He is afraid, that I can tell… alright, I'll speak to him. Now then, I want you to prepare yourself for your task, if it's not too much all of a sudden?"

" Alright, I'll do it! It's about time I've done something, since you wouldn't let me do what I'm best at!" she pouted a little, to which he smiled fondly and took her hands into his.

" My dear daughter, your and my grandson's safety is my duty! This time, it wouldn't be something that hard! Just be convincing, keep your identities and abilities a secret and get what we so desperately need!"

" Have you given us enough credits? Is Schroeder going to get mad for this?"

" Yes I have! No, he will not, since he won't have his daily pork chops, otherwise!" he laughed it off. " Josef's been taking care of the amount, so don't worry about that! I've received a message from Black Knife. The ships you will be using just docked at Septuaginta and are in the process of being checked for security issues and technical issues. You will leave first thing in the morning, my dear!"

 _The main spaceport on Solaris Secunda…_

Schnitt had sent his message across the Solaris System. He had used a rather special variation of the kel-morian codes that his men were used to. Still, that allowed him to bypass any security and deliver the news to any loyalists that might join him. He didn't have any illusion that everyone will join him just like that. Even so, he expected to have at least three battlecruisers at his disposal, plus enough battle groups and mining groups to last him for the mission. Also, he managed to use his personal access card to withdraw some 40000 credits before Andronic got the chance to warn the authorities. A bit less than he would have wished, but should he have taken more, the financial bureau would have noticed it and blocked the action.

Two hours later, his battlecruiser was ready for action, ammo, fuel, crew, everything was accounted for. He only had to wait for Henri and Sabinus, the other captain that agreed to help them in their mission. Recently promoted to captain status and the proud leader of a new minotaur class ship, he did a wonderful job above Braxis, when they pulled the Admiral's ass out of the fire. Now he had another chance to prove himself and he took it, despite the possible repercussions.

" Not too long now and we will be able to leave! 75% of our forces are with us so in a couple of hours we will take off! Did Andronic contact you, by any chance?" Henri sent him a message.

" No, though I believe he wouldn't let us leave just like this! Any problems on your part?"

" Not that I know of! Be careful, my friend; we don't know if he has a plan in store for us or not!" Henri warned before his holo turned off.

Indeed, as Henri predicted, it wasn't too long before Admiral Marcu Andronic appeared on the only channeled that was constantly airing: _**Solaris TV.**_

" _**Greetings, my fellows! I am here this evening to announce that my third in command, captain Schnitt, whom most of you already have known or heard of, will be gone on a sensible mission outside the system. Rest assured, for I have taken the necessary measures so as to insure that this action will not weaken the system as a whole and that it would be as successful as the conditions allow it. Therefore, only volunteers are to be going, support will be limited, given our recent exhausting efforts.**_

 _ **In other news, we will begin the importation of foodstuff from safe, third party sources. It would not be long before the agricultural problem would be solved. Also, this second expedition will make sure to bring vital medical supplies and other useful items. I, for once, will remain behind to insure a prime administration of our system.**_

 _ **Now then, if you have any problems, issues that need solving, please file them in at the following address: OF4SPROB_01_2503 . Me and the rest of the administrative wing will be taking care of them!**_

 _ **Have a good evening and rest peacefully, knowing that we are here for you!"**_

" I know, I can be pretty impressive on screen, right?" Andronic entered his battlecruiser's bridge, so far undetected by anyone. Behind him was Esmeralda, her face resolute this time.

To say that the kel-morian was surprised would be an understatement. But then, the pair was wearing their Hekate-Class Ghost Suits, so it shouldn't seem so strange.

" Hello, my sneaky friends! Make yourself comfortable!" he greeted them on an informal, ironic tone.

Andronic was not impressed. He silently walked up to Schnitt, gave an all-knowing glance to the rest of the bridge crew, before unceremoniously punching him in the gut, then adding a slap against his face, thus sending the morian captain flying to the ground. Quite humiliating!

" That's for making my daughter cry, you self-serving son of a bitch!" he said, his gaze boring into Schnitt's alarmed eyes. He was having a hard time keeping his psionic powers at bay. Luckily, having been exhausted by the battle on Braxis, battle against Nova, to be more specific, he couldn't- or couldn't afford to- display his abilities.

" I'll allow you to go onto this stupid adventure of yours! Know this: if you fail, if you lose those that you lead into this mess… you shall have no place by our side! This action of yours… I did not expect it… and it hurt!"

" I thought of you as a brother, lovable fool! I loved you as such! You, Josef, Father… my own family… but you just had to act like an idiot and spit on my trust… spit on it all!" Esmeralda was mad. Electrical shocks were sparkiling off her fingers and dancing on the floor. If she kept on, she would have been damaging the circuits of the devices nearby. Not that she cared as much.

The captain gathered himself off the floor and stood up straight, looking the duo into the eyes. Inhaling deeply, he got his determination back; enough to stand up to them. He would not apologize or stop his actions. Not now. Maybe when he got back with everything he managed to win out of this gamble, maybe then, with leverage, he would appease them. Until then, well, he had to act serious.

" We'll see each other again, hopefully! We'll talk about it then! Good luck on your tasks!" he said, nodding to the both of them, then turning his back and activating the holo-table. " Ensign, please escort my friends back to the starport, thank you!" he motioned to one of the men standing by, who complied immediately.

And then they left.

 _Five hours later, the former kel-morians found themselves in hyperspace, their one stop… Deadman's Rock… which they reached without a hitch…_

A hail from the Gladius got his attention. It was Henri calling. He pressed a few buttons, activated the secure conversation port and then his second-in-command's face appeared on the screen.

" Uhh, Schnitt my friend, not to say that I'm getting cold feet or anything, but… we need more help! Kaljo is a sneaky bastard and he always makes sure he is guarded. We need backup!" Henri interjected, after he had read a full report on their current forces.

His superior didn't break a sweat. He'd planned for this very moment. He had taken time to consider the many variables and it was time to use one of those to their advantage.

So, in parallel with Henri's screen feed, he typed in a few secure codes, opening a private channel with a certain battlecruiser on Deadman's Rock.

Jim Raynor must have been baffled by the fact that Andronic wasn't the one who was hailing the Raiders. Truth be told, he recognized Schnitt as one of the so called _Admiral_ 's most trusted collaborators. Eitherway, he would soon find out what this was about:

" Greetings, James Raynor! This is captain Schnitt of the morian wing of the Argonauts! I take it you remember me…?" the guy spoke on a slimy tone. Bastard thinking he's superior.

" Yeah, I do! I also remember giving those codes to your leader, not you! Where's that Admiral of yours, pup?" he asked with his usual Mar Sara laidback-annoying attitude. It struck a nerve, but the guy hid it well.

" He is not around; too busy nation-building, by the way, but you are not the one I wanted to talk to! So be a good lad and bring Rory Swan here, ok?"

Schnitt swore that he could hear a vein popping up on the rebel leader's forehead. He could barely hide his amusement; Henri as well, on his part.

Swallowing his torrent of rather creative insults, if only to watch Rory unleash his own- which, mind you, was a damn lot horrifying- Jim went straight to the Armory, where he grabbed a still busy and rambling Swan, bringing him up to the bridge, in front of the Holo-Table.

" Hey-hey! I'm goin', I'm goin'! Gee, cowboy, what's gotten into ya?!" he asked as he made eye contact with the caller-callers, he let out an "Oh!" before his hateful mask was on.

" What's with the trash?" he asked Raynor, who simply raised his shoulders, happy that he'd gotten the mess off his mind for once. Unlucky for Swan, though.

" Well, you've got some nerve, Kel-Morian scum! What's yo business? In case you ain't noticed, I'm a busy man!" he clapped his prosthetic claw in front of the screen for better emphasis.

Unfazed, Schnitt reached into a nearby briefcase, taking a spare tablet, which he plugged in to the holo-table and a accessed a certain file. A picture soon appeared on the screen.

" Tavish-fucking-Kerr! What's up with that scum?" Rory asked surprised… and suspicious.

" I have a proposition for you and your Raiders, Raynor! Tavish Kerr is currently governing Redstone III, a volcanic planet rich in jorium filled minerals. Due to recent difficulties, he asked for consistent backup. That will come in the form of a relief expedition led by my former boss, overseer Kaljo Tun! Now, I know for sure that most of the men that they're leading are itching for a better life… and to knock the daylights out of these two jokers! I intend to take both of them out and to convince my fellow morians to join me and Andronic's forces. You in on this?"

Schnitt had learned during his rather hard life that reading people was a plus. Wether it was a twitch of the eye, slight trembles/tremurs, scratching your chin and so on, he could read it for what it was: uncertainty, anxiety, nervousness, agressivity, hate, lies etc.

Rory Swan, for all his self control, couldn't repress clapping his claw rather abruptly, while his eyes glittered for a second.

" _Good! I'll convince him to bring his buddy Raynor to help us!"_ Schnitt thought coldly.

" So, mister Raynor, I take it you want to help your friend get the revenge he deserves? I believe he is not the only one to have suffered on Meinhoff. I think none of us would pass up the chance, now would we?" he used a certain silver tongued tone.

For Raynor it was clenching his teeth like there was no tomorrow. This joker, this morian… if it wasn't for the fact that he pulled their asses out of the fire- or, mind you, the ice- over Braxis, he would have ended the conversation earlier.

Indeed, he owed Andronic and his Argonauts for the helping hand they've given him and his boys. But this wasn't Andronic, but one of his goons. The one he trusted the least.

Funny how similar they were, he and the Admiral, now that he thought about it.

He laughed mentally at Mira Han's joke about Matt and that fellow, Josef, being long-lost brothers. He smiled fondly, thinking about how he adopted that ghost, after she'd rescued her from Mengsk's Ghost Program. Those three were good people; Matt agreed. But this guy? He had no info on him. He didn't talk to much and the first impression wasn't so good.

However, one glance over at Rory told him that the seasoned former miner and current engineer had a similar dilemma. Though, by the looks of it, he was going to accept.

" Alright, you slimehead! Tell us what's in it for us if we help you!" Raynor answered begrudgingly.

" Well, besides a well earned revenge, we will be liberating a large amount of extremely valuable minerals that you, with your many contacts, will be able to easily sell. Also, 60-40% my way for any credit cases we find. Final offer!" Schnitt proposed the one and only deal.

After a minute of hard thinking, in which he reminded himself that they needed to find some work until Graven Hill, Mira, Black Knife or some other "friend" of theirs will tipp them off with a job.

" You've got a deal!" he finally answered, much to Schnitt's delight.

** **Author's Note****

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	17. 17: Glimpses of the past Future ahead!

Disclaimer: I do not by any means own Starcraft, nor do I make a profit from any activity relating with the franchise.

 **Author's note: thank you for the reviews. Also, if I seem to be a little too set on detailing, know that I am trying to improve as the chapters add up. This is a fanfic, after all, and character buildup is necessary!**

 **Observation: this chapter includes a lot of flashbacks, governmental and administrative stuff that may seem boring to some. Proceed at your own risk!**

 **Chapter 17: Glimpses of the past and the future ahead.**

 **(UED Remnant Admiral Marcu Andronic's biography)**

 _Born in year 2463 on Earth, the capital world of all humanity in the Universe and was raised by his higher class Romanian family in the country's second most important city. During his childhood years, he manifested a deep interest in subjects such as history, geography, law, military as well as a few foreign languages._

 _As such, he attended Cluj-Napoca's number one school. Slowly, but surely, the path led him towards the army. His patriotism, coupled with a high knowledge with regard to humanities, propelled him into the upper ranks of Romania's leading circle._

 _25_ _th_ _century's Earth was governed by an international body called the United Nations, in which every country would send a representative. The Council took care of any issues that arose between the member states, which had a relatively large degree of autonomy. Also, it passed many transnational regulations when it came to domains such as: outer space explorations, scientific development, the colonizing of new planets, administrating scarce or valuable ressources, protecting the environment etc._

 _As a matter of fact, each country had its pros and cons._

 _In Romania's case, the people were extremely versatile, capable of adapting to new technologies, environments and, most importantly, they were able to make do with less than it was theoreticly needed. On the other hand, thanks to a troubling, unstable past, the country remained behind in both the arms race and the space race, to which it was a late-commer. Leading it at the time of Marcu Andronic's ascent into politics was Voevode Radu Ghika VI. A tall, skinny man with an almost oval face, he had a large white moustache, white hair, which he kept in a short cut, a sharp nose, thoughtful brown eyes and a mouth that never broke into a smile; never. He was wearing a crown made out of the steel of a melted down cannon- a centuries old heirloom in the country's ruling monarchy which represented its fight for independence, modesty, respect for the ancestors. The rest of the attire was composed of an ocean blue military suit, with blood red and golden yellow coloured sleeves, buttons and ornaments. The Voevode (or Prince) was armed with a ceremonial sword made of titanium, beautifully forged into a slightly curved shape of a rapier. In the end came a dark red cape, embroided with national symbols, such as the aurochs, the eagle, a pair of dolphins and a pair of lions._

 _As he lay in his seat at the Space Expansion Conference in Luxembourg-Ville, one of the UN's main meeting spots, he received word that his country's presidency over the next colonization effort had been approved._

" _It is high time we received our much deserved recognition!" he spoke to one of his advisors. His own alcove was located in the lower-middle level of the gigantic meeting hall, right between the Hungarian, Yugoslavian and Bulgarian counterparts. " I do not wish to throw away this one in a lifetime opportunity to gain prestige for our beloved land! This plan will come into action after the five years gap that the beurocrats need in order to provide the funds. During this period, I wish for an exemplary team to be gathered, briefed, then sent into training programmes. Male no mistake, mr. Dognecean! I want a list in less than a week, starting from tomorrow, understood?!"_

 _Marcu Andronic was one of the lucky ones to get on that particularly short list. Imagine singleing out two thousand people out of a population of 55 millions! He achieved the feat thaks to his loyalty, commitment and proven micromanaging skills._

 _The Voevode appointed him as the leader of the nascent, Romanian-led Helios III Fleet. The colony ships, giant as they were, had to be produced one by one, piece by piece. The Brasov based IAR Yards would yield a completed craft in half a year. The small craft starports in Constanta and Bucharest( the country's capital) were tasked with providing the armed escort vessels. The entire industry was put under immense pressure in order to respect the imposed guidelines and schedule. The foreign funds were handed out at certain intervals, so being overdue was simply not an option._

 _(Here is one of the two's rather interesting discussions)_

 _Transcript translated from the Romanian language into English_

" _Greetings, my honoured subject! Welcome to my not so humble abode! I assume you know who you are talking to and why…?" the Voevode's voice bellowed._

" _I most certainly do, your highness! It is about the next colonization operation and my position in that matter!" Andronic answered with a humble voice._

 _The Voevode regarded him for a few seconds, before asking him to sit down in the seat right next to him. It was customary that an important advisor or guest sit at the monarch's right. Marcu Andronic bent the knee in fron of his ruler, then took the appointed seat. Radu Ghika VI spoke with a low, barely audible voice:_

" _I have ordered for the best citzens to be taken in on this particular endeavor. The fact that you are one of them says much in itself, yet I had the curiosity of personally reading your CV and autobiography. I find you quite intrigueing, of not a bit… out of time?... antiquated…, how should I phrase it?"_

" _Thank you for the effort, but.. antique? What do you mean by that, your highness?"_

" _Well, we are in the 25_ _th_ _century. Technology has come a long way now. Traditions are of utmost value, symbols too, as I am practically enveloping myself with them. Even so, from what I've learned, your interests lie in history, ancient history, strange languages, writings, certain arts and what not. On the other hand, your devotion ought to be something of a prime example for our fellow countrymen!_

 _Please, know that I understand and always support such intellectual activities whenever it is possible, but now, your credentials, plus the situation at hand forces me to forbid you- no, that's not the word- …_ _ **postpone**_ _such interests on your part, at least until after we have acquitted ourselves, as a country, of this giant task!_

 _I hereby promote you as Fleet Commander of the Helios III expedition!"_

 _Andronic's face literally fell at that moment. Never before had he suspected that his efforts would be recognized- let alone rewarded- on such a scale. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind at that moment. Would he be a good leader? A responsible taskmaster? Will the new planets pose great challenges to his fleet? Would he make the Voevode and his country proud?_

"… _I guess it's something of a shock, I understand! When I was in kindergarten I found out that I was to be Romania's Voevode, for God's sake!" Radu Ghika VI laughed a bit. " Imagine a kid finding out that he was going to lead, safeguard the lives, futures and interests of his people at the age of seven! I've come a long way from that moment, forced into maturing and all that. Here I am though, your wise leader, goodwill not forgotten in the least!" he smiled at the other man in a fond way, almost like a grandparent._

" _Indeed, your highness, that's quite a feat! Still, this abrupt change is too much to take at the moment, so forgive me if I'm not too enthusiastic!" Andronic admittet, albeit on a measured tone._

" _No troubles, mr Andronic. I'll make sure you get a few days off now, in order to get better acquainted with your new position in the Fleet. It's akin to an Admiral's rank, although yours is a bit more limited- plus, it will only be around for as long as the expedition deems it necessary. After that, you will most likely remain in the UN's Space Fleet. Until then, I believe that a new battlecruiser for you to use is in order!"_

" _My own command ship?" Andronic asked, paling in disbelief._

" _More like a capital ship!" the Voevode smiled. " I already gave the order for it: the ship's frame, metalical structures, wiring will be built here, the batteries, rocket launchers will be imported from Belgium's Liege based Herstal Group, while Japan's Yokohama Starports will take care of the fusion reactors and the engine tweaking. The rest will be manufactured in our proud little country as well! I already have a name for the contraption:_ _ **The Decebalus**_ _!"_

" _I'm…at a loss for words, your highness!"_

" _In return I ask of you to take part in as many training simulators as possible. Add to that lectures on how to lead an army, a fleet, a city, a planet; the market has a good offer on those!" Voevode Radu Ghika Vi replied, then handed him a voluminous, paper based dossier. It was green, with black margins and had the stamp of Romania's Royal Armed Forces, plus his seal and signature._

" _Old school print, as you like it, though I admit it's saer and more useful sometimes in this form. No hackers to get it, know what I mean? Inside you will find everything you need in order to accommodate yourself to your new rank. You may now leave!" the Voevode nodded and pointed his sceptre at the exit._

 _With a customary bow, the newly appointed Fleet Commander left the royal premises. He spent the rest of the day clearing his mind, resting for the challenges that were to come._

 _He took part in many different simulations, designed to make terrans adapt to all sorts of hardships, environments, situations that may put them at odds. Marcu Andronic was pushed to the limits of his body's tolerance for pain, exhaustion and physical pressure. The researchers found out that he had an uncanny ability at handling combat walkers, small time spacecraft, plus other similar vehicles. The so-called "Goliath" war machine was a gizmo that he most certainly preferred. The gatling guns could shred any light armored target to pieces, the heavily armored targets being pressured until they broke; the rockets were able to bring down any enemy flyers. Also, when aimed at armored enemies or clusters of troops, the rockets would decimate them._

 _At his personal request, a few top line researchers and scientists were appointed as his engineers, one of them being Jolanda Kars- that would help in the development of a customized mech fit for active front line duty. That is the reason for which the Royal Goliath never reached mass-production, thus remaining a prototype. It was constantly modified to suit Andronic's needs as he led his forces into countless battles and explorations._

 _The battlecruiser, Decebalus, was enormous, some would name it as one of the country's famous megalomanic projects, yet none could ever deny its capabilities. On every test that it had been put through, the ship performed incredibly well; beyond expectations. The workers that put it together made sure to take every technicality into consideration. Be it batteries' discharge, recoil, energy cells, circuitry, engine recirculation, ventilation, cryogenic chambers, shields, warp drive and what not t had been carefully planned, put together and tested. Romania's capital ship was unbelievably expensive, one of a kind, thus it had to be good, very good. When it came to holding the line, taking punishment, performing troop insertions into different battlefields, it had no equal. Also, its weaponry enabled it to engage multiple enemy counterparts at once with efficiency. The only proven drawbacks were the great fuel consumption (vespene gas), the intricate level of engineering needed to repair and maintain it._

 _The five year wait period was over, so Andronic embraced his new position officialy. At the head of the Helios III Colonization Fleet, he led many terran vessels and explorers into the barely charted Scorpio System that was one thousand light years away from the Solar System. Astronomists based in Russia, the USA and China reported a number of about 11 proven planets, plus and unknown number of satelites in that system and a star of unknown dimension. Drones based on Pluto couldn't get a better look, but it gave them a bit of help._

 _His first task was to find at least one planet that could be terraformed. Then map the system, analyze the ensueing data and report back. If any hostiles were to be found, caution was mandatory, provocation was out of the question, yet self defence was encouraged._

 _He didn't expect to find five life sustaining planets that could be terraformed. What disturbed him was the presence of terran settlements. After coming close enough to them, his avangarde was attacked by a fleet of wraiths. Not waiting for orders, Andronic engaged them, sweeping aside the assailants with his mighty battlecruiser's laser batteries. A few days later and he invaded their HQ. Imagine his surprise when he found out that they were based in a derelict… worldship, no… prison ship. One of those that had been exiled from the Solar System, long ago._

 _His discovery sparked interest in all levels of the UN's science and administration departments. If that was indeed the lost colonization ship, then the others would have been succesfull in their survival as well._

 _The United Earth Directorate was created, deep space exploration getting an enormous boost. All the constituent countries wanted to reap the benefits of an annexation of that Terran Confederacy. Add to that the fact that the discovery of aggressive alien species complicated matters. If they were ever to make their way to Earth's most prized worlds, then it will spell doom on all humanity._

 _Therefore, a mission to both safeguard the Terran Confederacy, the Kel Morian Combine and Umojan Protectorate and defeat the alien onslaught was elaborated._

 _By then, Marcu Andronic had been delegated to protecting the commercial routes from pirates. That is how he met his second in command, Josef Harding, whom he had come to appreciate for his professionalism._

 _The two, as well as their forces serving under them had immediately volunteered for this risky expedition into the unkwown. Had they known they would end up in such a disaster, they might have reconsidered. Might have._

 _Only a captain at that time- albeit a very respected one- he followed Admiral Gerard DuGalle and Vice-Admiral Alexei Stukov in all their important military actions: the invasion of Braxis, the Dylarian Shipyards Raid, the assault on Korhal IV and the efforts to capture Mengsk and his fleeing allies. On Aiur, he held the western front around the Warp Gate to Shakuras and he was the first to be hit by the zerg wave that Samir Duran was supposed to stop. Later on, he would find out that the man had betrayed them and killed the Vice Admiral. Even though he and his fellow soldiers had managed to use the Psi Disruptor to gain control of the Overmind and of most of the zerg, the Queen of Blades, an infected terran named Sarah Kerrigan, rallied an uneasy alliance of all three major races against them. The Captain fought long and hard to defend Korhal and then Char from those that didn't know that they were being played for fools. Betrayal on their part was incoming, yet neither the protoss, nor Raynor or the Dominion saw it. Kerrigan had used her allies like the peons they were, eventually coming to control the entire chess board._

 _The Expeditionary Fleet, the pride of the UED, had been decimated and he barely escaped along with as many as he could possibly save. If there is one thing that the self appointed Admiral of the UED Remnants, now called Argonauts, loathes, it is the zerg and their leader. Because of what happened, he cannot return to his beloved home. Because of what happened, he is responsible for an informal colonization effort- no, a nation building effort. There is not a day in which his mind doesn't dwell on how to improve his people's lives, the state and their protection._

 _ **Present day…**_

Admiral Marcu Andronic had attended a multitude of meetings. A growing headache was starting to annoy him.

His daughter, Esmeralda, and his second-in-command, Josef Harding left day before, to visit Bountiful, Halycon and Shiloh to gather those supplies. Even Agria if they could keep themselves out of trouble. The departure was silent, kept low, on a need to know basis. She forced herself not to worry and he reassured her that everything would be alright. She was smart, charmant, a psychic; her man was smart and knowledgeable, their new identities ought to get them through any filter that the Dominion might impose. Just for safety, all contact with the Solaris System was forbidden and their homecoming had to respect certain protocols. All in all, they would do well, he was sure of it.

Right then, were was he?

He had summoned the cabinet of ministers to discuss the plans for the development of the Solaris System and their nation. Of course, his ministers hadn't been properly trained for the high importance jobs that they now held. That was because no one had expected that the UED expedition would fail on such a scale. So, in order to solve the problem, he appointed the best suited specialists that he could find. Needless to say, they performed well, under the dire circumstances.

Reinhard Schroeder, minister of Finance, Economy and Industry is the man behind the micromanagement of the Argonaut nation, besides the Admiral. He, together with Andronic and a couple of handpicked specialists had developed the new currency: " _ **Galbens"**_ , or gold coins.

Made out of high quality gold, minted with three sets of security codes, these coins came in certain sizes, according to their respective value. Some other goods, such as food, electricity and vespene gas were still distributed by means of tickets (paper printed). Thus, there was almost no room for fraud. Marcu Andronic hated subjecting his people to rationing, but with limited ressources, he couldn't afford to waste anything. What's more, since travelling outside of the nation was strictly forbidden, there was practically no need to pin the Galbens to the Koprulu Sector Credit. Even so, in order to have a strong base for future trade and to base the coins on something generally accepted, Schroeder proposed an exchange rate of 20 Galbens per 1 K. Credit, but Andronic imposed a rate of 10 Galbens.

Anyway, the international budget, which was at Andronic's fingertips, wasn't stable at all. The Admiral would often receive or redirect funds as opportunities presented themselves. For men such as Schroeder, who studied economy at Harvard Business School, such a behavior was nightmarish. Only the fact that his ruler exhibited a pondered character, never making unnecessary spendings and always keeping cash in reserve, seemed to alleviate part of his fears.

Aenea Maria DiPeroni, the lady in charge of the Ministery of Agriculture and Terraforming, on the other hand, had a more laid-back attitude towards the situation. She would make do with what she had at her disposal and trust that Andronic would choose what's best for them and their nation. Even if she was an expert in her field of expertise, she couldn't help but admire the Admiral's efforts to understand the most important aspects of the faction he created. He could grasp the base theory of the important issues at hand. What a wonderful man, she often thought and smiled. If only he would notice her.

John Hasper, Minister of Education was another important piece of the government. He was in charge of the few universities and academies that they have opened, as well as the schools and preschools. Together with his colleagues, he managed to draw a seemingly balanced plan for the Argonaut nation's encompassing minimal education pack, which every man and woman had to know in order to better live their lives. It included basic info on their system, the Koprulu Sector, the three main races and, obviously, Earth. Some basic piloting skills, repairing your car, your ship if you had one…

He exhaled and arranged his tie. His blue suit made him stand out from the others. As usual, DiPeroni was wearing her supposedly alluring red suit with the shorter black skirt. If he would be a stupid man, he wouldn't have guessed that she was trying to win the Admiral's heart. Well, too bad for her, because Andronic wasn't going to fall for that trick. Schroeder and his obnoxious white shirt that wouldn't cover his belly was a funny sight to see. The pig kept complaining that the Admiral was holding on too much power and was keeping back the economy through his regulations and degrees. For a 47 year old, he was quite the snob, even if he was good at this job. If it was back on Earth, Mars or Jupiter, the paper pusher would have done perfectly. But they weren't home. Instead, they were isolated in hostile territory, with little to no allies and limited means. It was also imperious that miss Esmeralda and mr. Harding would return with the necessary foodstuff and medication. The shopping list wasn't a small one, but they had money and the brains to use it wisely. That pair was one of a kind. He chuckled.

" Ce râzi ca prostul, nu vezi că avem treabă?" (What are you laughing about like an idiot? We have a job to do!) Andronic asked, annoyed that he interrupted him in the middle of his outlining of a new plan.

While the others hadn't taken up learning their leader's language, he did a bit of research and he understood enough.

" Nothing, sir! Please go on!" he answered with respect.

"… as I was saying, I intend to lead a solo mission to fulfill our contract with that wretch's son, Valerian Mengsk! I will only be taking the Decebalus, which would have been repaired by tomorrow, thanks to our overzealous engineers. I want to see if whom I am dealing with, if I can use the boy against the father or at least profit from this agreement. Before you jump to protests- he raised his hand to silence them- I need to remind you that those credits will help us a lot, not to mention that we might be getting our hands on some protoss and dominion technology or intel! The other cruisers will stay here for repairs and R&R. I'll only be taking my crew plus a contigent of volunteers this time! Questions, objetions, the like?" he asked, looking all three of them in the eyes.

For a second, nobody said nothing. Then DiPeroni actually raised the issue of him being killed, cornered or captured with or without the ship, which would be a total disaster for all of them.

" A valid point, my dear, but I will not let that happen! Besides, if I linger here I would feel a bit useless, just pushing papers. I need some action!" the Admiral added as he combed his auburn hair into its usual, left-leaning low angle haircut.

Hasper put his hand over his mouth and laughed silently, as he saw DiPeroni's eyes sparkle and her cheeks turn a slight shade of red.

" If there are no more issues for today, I'll be retreating to my quarters. Don't disturb!" he shook their hands and left without another word.

The Admiral returned to his quarters and fell into his chair. On one of his tables lay a group foto of all of the captains in front of the Dominion Senate Building in Augustgrad, after they had conquered Korhal IV from Mengsk. His mentor, Alexei Stukov was there. The Russian son-of-a-gun and been a tough, but ever fair commander. Ever since Andronoc signed up for this wrong gone Koprulu Mission, Stukov had been the one to show him the ropes, to fill him in on what he did not know, on how a leader was supposed to behave in all situations.

" All your words couldn't prepare me for this!" he spoke to the picture in the image. " You wouldn't believe what I managed to pull after that snake betrayed us and got us annihilated!"

He cast a glance to the only intruder in the picture, the one man that was not a captain, but a lieutenant. Not earthborn, but recruited from around here. One that Gerard DuGalle had so truthfully nicknamed "turncoat". Samir Duran. It was the blasted infected terran that had played them for fools and turned them against each other. Always the double agent for that bitch of an insect queen.

" _What's the problem with that guy? I know he's got a weird accent sir, but he came through on his part so far!" a perplexed captain Marcu Andronic asked vice-admiral Stukov as he had been called into a meeting._

" _Look my romanian tovarisci, I trust you! That is the reason why I am even telling you this. I don't have any solid proof to take this to Gerard, but the fact that he begged us to destroy the PSI Disruptor is dubious. That weapon could mean the difference in the fight with the zerg AND the protoss. What a criminal mistake it would be to throw that away on a traitor's whim?_

 _Andronic's eyes went wide at those words. It meant that his mentor hadn't done as he was asked and had kept the Disruptor somehow intact. Against a direct order from the Admiral himself. That would risk being taken in front of the Court Martial and most likely to the firing squad, the old fashioned one hopefully._

" _Look, Andronic, I've known Gerard for a very long time! Even I can't understand why he's still taking the advice of that runt! He's getting dependent on him and that is a noob-like mistake. I'm willing to risk my life to insure that we win this. Are you with me?" Alexei Stukov stared into his eyes-one might say into his soul- and dared him to follow._

 _After a couple of minutes of silence, in which he contemplated everything, Andronic slowly nodded._

" _Look, if something does go wrong, in the end, I know that you'll pull something off!" he patted his subordinate on the shoulder, before lighting a cigar and waving at the exit. " Dosvidanya!"_

Damned be Duran and his trecheary. Damned be Gerard himself for condemning his friend to death. Andronic was sure that his former superior and friend would be proud of what he had managed to achieve. With all the problems, the uncertainties, the lack of so many important materials, here they were, building their own home away from home. He dared call the Argonaut nation a beauty.

He opened the first file on top of the not so small pile on his desk. The opening of a technical university on Solaris III, one that would provide the mechanics with the right skills and expertise. The costs were affordable, 3200 galbens per month, excluding the minimal welfare that the teachers already received. He quickly revised it again and, seeing no problem with Hasper's project, signed it and put it next to the other decrees.

Next.

DiPeroni wanted to know if the mandatory universal ration program should be kept at this level. Every baby, kid, teen and adult had his own meal dashed out after a thorough calculus. Kind of communist, if he thought about it, but until Esmeralda comes back with extra foodstuff and they manage to make themselves sustainable, it will have to do. Vegetables, cereals, eggs, meat, bread, milk and from time to time some chocolate and other products that one may call luxury. Seeing no alternative, better or worse, he signed.

Another couple of decrees were issued. He approved the opening of two sweet drinks factories on Solaris VI, two medicine factories, four clinics and the Social Housing Program. Solaris V had some great Bio-Dome possibilities which would yield much needed crops in a few months. He added a few details such as increased maintenance and took out the genetic modifications sequence, for he did not want to risk damaging the harvest.

Of his own will, he redirected some ressources to completing the steelworks on Solaris II so that they might have the needed processed materials for their industry. He had to discuss this one with Schroeder.

He had a long night ahead.

Next…

 _In another part of the Sector…_

Schnitt cleaned his custom Gauss rifle once more. The action itself calmed him somewhat. He had installed a few upgrades in it, like a better scope, a new bullet discharger and a grenade launcher which would make his life easier. In his yellow-orange-brown marine suit he kept a set of 20 golden bullets for the special occasion that was due to take place in a couple of days.

Henri came in and informed him that they would arrive at Redstone III in a day, two at most. They were on schedule. Sneaking planetside would be the most challenging part of the whole episode, but not unfeasible. He instructed everyone but the current crew shift to go get those last mechs and airships repaired and then rest. Raynor and his Raiders were using another hyperspace lane, something about gathering backup along the way, but would arrive in time.

He took another look at Redstone III's data. The planet was volcanic, obvious place to find rich minerals. What's more, the constant erruptions would mean that the best approach would be small groups, mobile buildings, hit&run attacks, no prolonged operations. He would make good use of the few Vikings they had. Dropships and cloaked wraiths would give the two bloody idiots growing headaches. He did not want to have any unnecessary losses, especially after being scolded by- and having his face punched by the Admiral.

" My revenge is unfolding itself! Those two bastards can't realize that they're dead men walking. Five days and they'll be nothing more than ash!" he spoke aloud, then laughed like a maniac. " Then the others will see that I'm able to think and decide for myself!"

 _Aiur, the Crystal Caves…_

Rosemary Dahl felt true fear for the first time in a long while. Not the fear of dying of hunger, of thirst or at the hands of some crook. Not even the fear of being the victim of the zerg made her shiver and tremble like this. Oh no! It was her addiction to drugs, to stims, to those damned green-bluey things that she had been stupid enough to inject herself with until a year ago. It made her be ten times more stupid than she sometimes was. To think that that bastard Ethan Stewart had been the one to help her lay off those and in her withdrawal period…

She shook that last thought from her head. Maybe Ramsey might help her this time.

No-no-no, she had to take that thought out of her mind. The damned substance… _Sundrop…_ or whatever name it had, was beginning to affect her. Her chrono told her that almost a day had past since the Archon forced her to swallow that chalice filled with the orange-purple fluid. The effects were manifesting already: she felt her eyes become bloodshot, her heart was working double time, pumping the body with blood twice as fast, getting her overenergic, overextatic. Her minds was getting weaker and weaker, her will was mostly broken. The entity visited her every half an hour and would remain for only a couple of minutes. Damned chinese-waterdrop method, she thought. Every time he returned, she found it harder and harder to hide her thoughts, her memories. She was losing control over herself and that terrified her.

" _**Hellooo, my dear guest! It's time for us to discuss your coming here… AGAIN! HAHAHA!"**_ Xava'Tor (Ulrezaj) returned and, judging by his tone and posture, he enjoyed toying with her like the predator he was.

" _**I have scouts that have confirmed me of you and your fellow terran's arrival. They also said you have protoss help. Very, very unusual, puny creature! Indulge me, tell me what are you doing here?"**_

" To be honest with you, mr Evil Blue Breath, the tourist board on Korhal IV said Aiur was wonderful these days. Low cost, less grumpy natives…the like!" she mocked him again, using a casual tone. She could at least insult him; she still had that small pleasure.

He visibly shook with annoyance, if the energy-flame-thingies that he was made of were of any clue. His voice only testified to that.

" _ **OH? So we haven't broken already? Very well, I'm prepared for every situation!"**_ he answered with malice, before revealing a large vial filled with Sundrop with which he injected her.

A few minutes of agonizing screams later, Xava'Tor found her to be receptive of his proposals.

" _**Now that I've finally got your attention, you will tell me what you were doing here. NOW!"**_

Despite all her protests and wailing and teeth clenching, she couldn't stop herself. The psionic command, coupled with the will-weakening effects of the damned substance overruled her.

" We…I…we are looking for a Khaydarin Crystal… a pure one…" she spoke, barely audible and with much shame.

But to Xava'Tor, that was music to his hears… figuratively speaking. He pressed on and Rosemary Dahl- that was the terran's name- revealed that she and her fellow terran, a no one named Jake Ramsey were involved in the rescue of a protoss preserver! Of all the times and places and beings, she was here, on a zerg infested Aiur, in the mind and body of a living terran. Of all the Universe's finer ironies, this must have had a place in the top ten. Zamara was her name… he, or one of the entities comprising him at least, remembered her as being one of the most important preservers, with great knowledge locked away in her mind. Perfect. Now he only had to get his hands on that blasted terran and extract here from there. Only problem was that he couldn't pinpoint the direction in which the Shel'na Kryhas were hiding. With all the defectors that came from the latters, he couldn't subdue or destroy them completely to this day. His presence on the battlefield would be a magnet to all the zerg in the vicinity and that would be a little problematic. His plans do not involve losing over half of his hard acquired and corrupted protoss to needless fighting with the mindless creatures roaming the desecrated planet.

With one more glance at his prisoner, he knew what he had to do. It was almost perfect.

" _**You there! You, pitiful creature, do you want more of this?"**_ Xava'Tor levitated another vial filled with the addictive substance in front of her, goading Rosemary, whose eyes she tried hard to keep to the ground.

"N-n-no…no…y…no!" she struggled against her bindings and the growing pressure applied to her mind.

" _**You know what I like about addiction? It is a great way of controlling those around you, like the protoss that serve me now! They too resisted, they too were subjected to it… and they serve me loyally, as will you! If not of your will and dedication, then of your will to live!**_ " Seeing her pained and confused expression, he added. _ **"Without more doses of this, your body will begin to wither, but that is the last of your worries! Your considerably weaker mind will get weaker and weaker, until your brain will stop giving commands and you will descend into utter madness! HAHAHA!"**_

" D-d…Damn you to hell! Damn you to Char and back!" Rosemary shouted.

" _**Creative insult, I give you that! But you WILL obey! You will get them here by any means necessary, without revealing your allegience to me! NOW!"**_ Xava'Tor, again, used his Psionic Persuasion to get the better of her. Not having the energy to put up with that, she nodded her head in defeat and he relseased her.

For a couple of hours she just wandered aimlessly in the caves, getting curious glances from the other protoss who have been instructed to leave her alone. A strange sight for a terran female to be there, but their glorious archon leader knew best. Alzadar, the best Templar of the Tal'Darim was suspicious of the weakling working for them. She had never experienced something like the Khala, that would forge a bond of belonging like the one he had with his protoss brothers and sisters. He, of course, had shed it in order to embrace the legacy of highness, as drawn upon by the holy Xava'Tor. Yet he still praised the Khala as a principle at least. He had no way of seeing if she lied or not without destroying her wounded, vulnerable mind.

Rosemary Dahl, after gathering herself as best as she could, reluctantly left the cave, activated her stealth unit and left for the Kryhas protoss base behind the waterfall. All around her, the bodies of slain zerg and a not so small number of protoss- a fact that had her quirk her lips in a slight smirk. A smile would be too much for her to handle without breaking down in tears. But she had to do it, to betray them, else she would die; horribly.

 _Elsewhere on Aiur…_

Ethan Stewart, even in his improved, infested terran state, was still having a hard time handling the growing numbers of attackers. His psionic powers weren't strong enough to allow him to control more than two thousand warriors by himself. He needed the help of overlords and hive clusters, which, what an irony? , were constantly attacked by the renegade zerg. He never had enough to actually secure the entire area, but he had enough to send sweep units to scout the area. He knew that his dear Rosemary and her lackey weren't far away; the couldn't be. Rather, they were most likely in hiding, biding their time to… to what? The question was what they were doing on Aiur of all places! Not even a damaged hyperdrive or navi computer would get them here; even so, they had more chances drifting in space than landing and confronting the maddened protoss and the zerg guarding the Overmind's husk.

But, by the Queen's Will, he would obey and track them down, no matter where they were hiding.

A few hours later, he received a report from a few of his zerglings. The feral zerg had engaged a certain point of protoss rebellion. Not that it was unheard of and he would have let it slide if it wasn't reported that the numbers of the attackers were great and were constantly pummeling that point. Add to that the fact that a few hydralisks were shot by flying projectiles that might have been bullets… and bingo!

No matter how many weapons Raynor and the UED left here the last time they visited the place, the protoss would have never used them, he though. They despise them, they think of terrans as only a small step ahead of the zerg on the evolutionary and intelligience scale. His Queen had told him so in the mental briefing she gave him. That meant that one of the fugitives was luring zerg into fighting the golden bastards. He knew of only one such shrewd person. His dear, formerly beloved Rosemary Dahl.

With a maniac laugh that would rival Arcturus Mengsk's, he launched himself into a new offensive. By nightfall, he would have conquered the ferals surrounding him, allowing him to capture the two.

 _Above Agria's atmosphere…_

Aboard the _Starless Wonder_ , Esmeralda Andronic and her beloved soon to be husband Josef Harding were standing at the main viewport on the ship's command deck. In front of them lay Agria, one of the worlds on their list. It was officially Dominion-aligned, but the number of troops guarding it- or rather occupying it- was relatively small and confined to certain areas. His father thought that they were going to Shiloh first and he let him think that. That is because they thought about it once more, in private, and found out that it was a better choice to pose as refugees forced to leave their temporary refuge in a fringe planet by the cold war with the zerg, thus seeking new planets to settle to. They worked hard for the ruse, even forged some authentic looking papers in that sense.

After modifying her look by dying her hair into a common blonde color, wearing brown contact lenses, dressing herself in a modest dress and forcing Josef to wear a clean, but old white shirt with brown, peasent like pants, they called the Colony's head of authority.

" Starless Wonder, this is doctor Ariel Hanson, representing my father in the talks with foreingers and guests! What business do you have here?" the slightly cold voice of the woman welcomed them, but Esmeralda wouldn't get intimidated by that little show.

" My name is Mariah Sattis. Me and my husband are leading a group of refugee ships that managed to escape a fringe planet invaded by the zerg and now burned down by the protoss! We are having trouble finding enough food for our people, even though we have the credits. Do you have some that you can sell, please?" she spoke with a pleading voice to the young doctor looking at her from the other side of the screen.

Ariel's features softened as she took in the sight of the pair, as well as the image of their battered refugee ships. Even so, since the last raid that occurred, the cursed pirates that tried to rob them, she was wary of strangers. Her father, the true ruler of the colony, was away at the time, having went off to the Tyrador System to discuss the purchase of a fertilizer licence and a new, more performant farming vehicle. Their colony's budger wasn't at the highest and she didn't know if they will have enough money for future, extensive projects. A bank credit was out of the question and she did not see any other sources of financing. Plus, by the looks of it, those poor people might have to give their last money just for the opportunity to see tomorrow on a distant, uninhabited planet that they might -hopefully- find for themselves.

After her internal debate was over, she decided to allow the head ship to land, in order for her to get a better look at them. Mariah agreed, relieved to have finally gotten an answer from someone after her ordeal.

Half an hour later, the Starless Wonder landed in Agria's main starport, which was not that far from the main settlement, Lark's Crossing. Waiting them at the ship's door was Ariel herself, along with a contigent of ten guards and her assistant, Jeffery.

As he saw the pair exit, she extended her hand and welcomed them:

" Hello, honored guests! Welcome to our little precious planet at the fringe of the Sector!" she smiled. " It's peaceful, for most of the time, the land is good and our yields have been high in the last years. I believe we might find a solution for your predicament, mrs Sattis!"

The undercover ghost bowed in thanks for their reception and presented her husband, Yuhn Sattis, a former commercial ship captain. The pair was escorted to the main settlement, while Ariel and Mariah discussed about a whole range of subjects. The latter(Esmeralda) was curious about the whole planet, about how they managed to get such a piece of Heaven for themselves. To this, Ariel smiled. The beaming personality of the other young woman- and appearently soon to be mother- was a relief from the monotony of the last days. The two newcomers were showed around the area in speeders and by foot as well. The whole place was akin to huge farm- and forrest land. It was truly astonishing. If Solaris VI would look like this after they do some work with it, she will settle in a quiet spot there with her husband and future child.

Hanson was told the story of their planet, an insignificant (Mariah was a bit furious as she said that word) speck on the map of the Koprulu Sector and at the very fringe of the Dominion. Of course, as it is often, the Dominion sent help when it was already too late. Luckily, the intervention allowed a good deal of the refugee ships to make themselves scarce and reunite at Deadman's Rock. They soon found out that they were unwelcome and even in danger to be robbed, enslaved or killed. So they left. Meinhoff refused them, Skarig I and II refused them. The Dominion did not want to grant them help to settle on another world, so they took their fate into their own hands; a dangerous, yet brave, decision.

" We didn't choose to be the leaders, Ariel, but nobody else would have taken responsibility; or was eligible enough. So me and my husband stepped up and have tried to do our best ever since. We've got tens of thousands of people that need food, as well as to fill our stores for the colonization!" Mariah stopped in front of a 50 km long field, full of enhanced vegetables that were almost ripe. " I really envy you!" she said with a sigh and leaned on the observation platform of the scientific station.

" Have you already a plan? Or would you rather settle here?" Ariel offered, trying to calm the poor young woman. Her husband, a not so tall man with black hair and common attire, was not so talkative yet supported her in her efforts, sometimes offering comments, words of encouraging, adding to their story. Right now he massaged his wife's shoulders, relieving her of some of the tension.

" Thank you dear!" she whispered to him, then turned around. " We wouldn't want to cause you any trouble, or overstay our welcome! You have a wonderful world, one that we would dream to call our own. Yet, as is with any dream, you have to chase it yourself, to build it yourself, so that when you watch upon it, you would be proud of your achievements!" Mariah/ Esmeralda lost herself in the idealism for a moment there.

It had its desired effect. It melted away more of Ariel Hanson's precautionary coldness. The three of them talked for the rest of the evening, eventually coming to an accord. For eight thousand credits, they bought more than enough food to fill the bellies of a hundred thousand people for two months. She bartered for a good price, since she was also buying twenty pieces of basic farming vehicles and medicaments. It was a start, but they had to reach at least two other planets on their "shopping list". Even so, 40% of what they needed, they got from Hanson and her people. She really seemed like a nice person and Esmeralda hated lying to her. That is one of the reasons she did not negociate too low of a price.

The ships finished being loaded that evening and they dined at the best restaurant in town- one of the only three, actually.

" Again, miss Hanson, allow me to thank you for your help and generosity!"

" Generosity? Mariah, dear, if we weren't in a tight budget situation, I would have given you a better price! But my father, the chief of the colony, needs this cash to fund his research and investments in ecquipment!"

"Oh my God, I hope we didn't buy vital stuff from you?"

"No-no, be at peace! You were sold common vehicles, the like we produce and we have an overstock of!" Ariel paused and looked at her again with a warm smile. " So, what's the little one's name?"

Mariah was dumbstruck by the question and her cheeks turned red from shame, as she bowed her head and did not meet her gaze for a few seconds. The comforting embrace of her husband brought her in normal spirits though.

" We did not think of a name yet! We got caught up in all of this… plus we don't know if it's a boy or a girl and we don't want to have to hastiliy come up with a name in the last minute!" Mariah argued sincerely.

" Do you want us to run a test, to see if you are alright? I promise you it will be harmless!"

Esmeralda cast a glance at Josef, who slowly turned his head down. It was her decision, but it was risky; he could hear his thoughts. The doctor, if she had advanced medical equipment, might detect the psionic emanations of the baby, it had such powers and surely Esmeralda's.

" I actually had an examination by one of our doctors three weeks ago. So far so good!" she said, slightly using a psionic trick to convince miss Hanson to drop the subject. She did.

" It is your choice!" she said. " It's getting late, I have to return to my duties soon! Let me guide you back to the Starport.

Eventually, they left the peaceful planet, praying that it's future will be as bright as its present.

For the future of the Argonaut Nation- and her family- was looking bright, Esmeralda thought happily.

 **Author's note:**

 _ **Hello there, my fellow writers, readers and loyal fans (smile)!**_

 _ **Sorry if I'm not updating regularly, but I'm in a sort of author's block and I barely write more than a couple hundred words per day- if at all. Don't worry though, the story will be brought to the end, this I swear!**_

 **Any suggestions are welcome! Help if you can!**

 **Follow and favorite if it got your interest.**

 **Review to contribute! Much appreciated!**

 **Bye!**


	18. Chapter Notice

_**Notice**_

 _I know I haven't updated this story in nearly a year now, but I intend to take it up again and post a new chapter in November. If all goes well and the inspiration doesn't leave me, I will post more often._

I welcome any help, either through P.M.s or through Reviews.

I ask you to look the story up again—as I will—and find ways to improve it or plots to add.

Thank you, my readers!


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